Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HCR50 Compare Versions

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1	1	88R9959 CW-D
2	2	By: Reynolds H.C.R. No. 50
3	3
4	4
5	5	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, Federal law sets the federal minimum wage at $7.25
7	7	an hour; and
8	8	WHEREAS, The last time Congress raised the federal minimum
9	9	wage was in 2007; that year, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 was
10	10	passed to gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an
11	11	hour to $7.25 an hour in 2009; the Act included small business tax
12	12	relief provisions and was signed into law by President
13	13	George W. Bush; and
14	14	WHEREAS, Speaking at a 2006 news conference, President Bush
15	15	said that he supported increasing the federal minimum wage, adding
16	16	that to achieve this and other goals, Congress needed to put aside
17	17	partisan differences and work constructively to address the vital
18	18	issues confronting our nation; and
19	19	WHEREAS, In the nearly 16 years since President Bush signed
20	20	the last federal minimum wage increase into law, the desire for
21	21	Congress to put aside partisan differences and work constructively
22	22	to raise the federal minimum wage has grown stronger in the states;
23	23	and
24	24	WHEREAS, To account for cost of living increases, 30 states
25	25	have set their minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage,
26	26	though not at the level of a living wage; 15 states, including
27	27	Texas, have set their minimum wage in line with the federal minimum
28	28	wage; and
29	29	WHEREAS, Supporters of a living wage emphasize that
30	30	increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour would reduce
31	31	poverty and grow the economy; their review of previous minimum wage
32	32	increases found little or no evidence that raising the minimum wage
33	33	reduces employment; and
34	34	WHEREAS, Demonstrating that paying workers more reduces
35	35	turnover, numerous companies, including Amazon, Walmart, Target,
36	36	Best Buy, Costco, and Starbucks, are now paying many hourly workers
37	37	at least $15 an hour; a 2017 Quinnipiac University poll found that a
38	38	majority of Americans would support a minimum wage of $15 an hour;
39	39	and
40	40	WHEREAS, Offering a Texas perspective, noted American
41	41	economist Dr. James K. Galbraith, a professor at The University of
42	42	Texas at Austin, wrote that states such as Texas would benefit from
43	43	raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour because such states
44	44	have too many low-wage workers, too much poverty, and too many
45	45	people who are getting food stamps and other welfare because they
46	46	aren't getting paid enough; and
47	47	WHEREAS, The well-being of this nation depends on a strong
48	48	and vibrant economy, and Congress should heed the advice of experts
49	49	such as Dr. Galbraith and raise the minimum wage; now, therefore,
50	50	be it
51	51	RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas
52	52	hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to raise
53	53	the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour; and, be it further
54	54	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
55	55	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
56	56	the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
57	57	Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
58	58	members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
59	59	this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
60	60	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.