Washington, D.C.   -  U.S. Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, released the following statement regarding today’s increase in the federal minimum wage from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour, marking the second of three increases to $7.25:

“Today, American workers across the country will get a much-needed boost in their take home pay to help lighten the burden on working families and ensure they receive adequate return on their work effort.
 
“The 70 cent wage hike, although modest, will certainly lend a helping hand to working families as they continue to battle high energy and food costs in the current economic downturn.

“In the meantime, as Congress continues to tackle the economic challenges that we are experiencing today, I will continue with my efforts to enact policies that will expand investment, create new jobs and put our economy back on a growth path.”

English has been a long time champion of increasing the minimum wage.  He was an original sponsor of the 1996 Quinn-Riggs-English amendment to raise the federal minimum wage to $5.15 and championed bipartisan legislation to enact the most recent increase to the federal minimum wage.  In addition, English has introduced his own legislation to combine small business tax relief with an increase in the federal minimum wage.

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