HR0110 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0110 LRB095 10688 LCT 30920 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, All Americans should be paid a living wage for the work they perform; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has recently enacted legislation that will increase the minimum wage in this State from its current level, in stages, from $6.50 per hour currently to $8.25 per hour on July 1, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Many other American states have minimum wage levels much lower than $8.25 per hour, making these states more attractive for many employers to relocate to if they have substantial needs for entry level employees; under current Illinois law, those other states will be viewed as better places for many employers to create jobs and hire new workers at the expense of people living in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, As the United States forms a single marketplace, all wage levels, including the minimum wage, should trend towards a common level, including a nationwide minimum wage for all American workers who are citizens or persons legally entitled to work in the United States; and

WHEREAS, On a trip to Springfield, Illinois in November 2006, U.S. House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer, incisively stated the concern, "Frankly, in my opinion this needs to be national law so we don't have states competing with one another on either going to the bottom on the minimum wage or going to a level that makes them uncompetitive. It's much better to have a national law."; and

WHEREAS, The efforts of the State of Illinois to provide a living wage will be greatly strengthened if the nation as a whole adopts a standard, adequate minimum wage that eliminates competitive disparities on the minimum wage between states and especially our neighboring states; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Congress of the United States should wield its constitutional power to create a single common minimum wage, at least at a level of $8.25 per hour by July 1, 2010, for the United States of America; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the common minimum wage should provide an adequate hourly income for all American workers; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and to each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.