INDIVIDUAL VIEWS OF REPRESENTATIVE MAZZOLI

Generally, I am in favor of H.R. 7935 which increases minimum wage standards and extends overtime hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In view of the eroded purchasing power of the dollar due to inflation, an increase in the minimum wage standard particularly appears to be long overdue.

However, I am compelled to express reservations about certain aspects of this bill which I believe detract from its overall good intent and salutary purpose.

Some of my colleagues have raised serious questions about the sched-, ule of the incremental minimum wage increases contained in H.R. 7935. Some feel the increases are too precipitous and thus contribute further to the inflationary spiral.

On balance, however, the needs of our marginal and lower-paid employees have priority here. Thus, I support the proposed schedule of increases though not without some uncertainty as to the inflationary impact.

Also, I am less than enthusiastic about phasing out certain overtime exemptions for workers who already enjoy wages substantially above the minimum. In this respect the bill loses sight of its fundamental objective which is to better the standard of living of the working poor. By contrast, in certain food-processing activities, H.R. 7935 waives overtime protection for affected workers-most of whom are low-paid. Here, overtime exemptions should not have been maintained.

Another area in which I disagree with the committee bill is in its failure to foster employment opportunities for full-time students and certain other young people through a carefully regulated youth differential provision.

Such a provision should include safeguards to prevent inducing youngsters to leave school prematurely and to prevent excessive displacement of adult workers.

A differential is feasible here since most young people seeking employment are not supporting a household. We must also consider the effect that a minimum wage increase without a reasonable youth differential will have on the overhead expenses of the nation's colleges and universities, which heavily depend upon part-time student help.

Also, I do not believe it is appropriate to include governmental employees under the coverage for minimum wage and overtime provided in H.R. 7935. This can place an insuperable financial burden on state and local government, and intrudes unnecessarily in the daily operations of these other governmental units.

My final reservation involves the exemption from coverage under H. R. 7935 of employees of conglomerates with gross annual sales of $10,000,000 or less. I think that in extending minimum wage and overtime protection to employees of conglomerates, we should do so without exemptions.

ROMANO L. MAZZOLI,
Member of Congress.

[From the Congressional Record-House, May 30, 1973]

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS AMENDMENTS OF 1973

Mr. BOLLING, from the Committee on Rules, reported the following resolution; which was referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed

1

RESOLUTION

Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution it

2 shall be in order to move that the House resolve itself into 3 the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 4 for the consideration of the bill (II.R. 7935) to amend the 5 Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the minimum 6 wage rates under that Act, to expand the coverage of that 7 Act, and for other purposes. After general debate, which shall 8 be confined to the bill and shall continue not to exceed three 9 hours, to be equally divided and controlled by the chairman 10 and ranking minority member of the Committee on Educa11 tion and Labor, the bill shall be read for amendment under

2

1 the five-minute rule. At the conclusion of the consideration 2 of the bill for amendment, the Committee shall rise and report 3 the bill to the House with such amendments as may have 4 been adopted, and the previous question shall be considered 5 as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final pass6 age without intervening motion except one motion to 7 recommit.

32-781 (Vol. 1) O 76 - 18

93D CONGRESS 1st Session

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

{

REPORT No. 93-240

PROVIDING FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7935

MAY 30, 1973.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed

Mr. BOLLING, from the Committee on Rules,
submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. Res. 419]

The Committee on Rules, having had under consideration House Resolution 419, by a nonrecord vote reports the same to the House with the recommendation that the resolution do pass.

[From the Congressional Record-House, June 5, 1973]

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS AMENDMENTS OF 1973

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House resolve into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 7935) to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the minimum wage rates under that act, to expand the coverage of that act, and for other purposes.

The SPEAKER. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

The motion was agreed to.

IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Accordingly the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill H.R. 7935, with Mr. Bolling in the chair.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

By unanimous consent, the first reading of the bill was dispensed with.

The CHAIRMAN. Under the rule, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) will be recognized for 111⁄2 hours, and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Erlenborn) will be recognized for 12 hours.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

(Mr. Dent asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DENT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may con

sume.

Mr. Chairman, periodically every 4 or 5 years some Member of this Congress since 1938 has had the duty of presenting to the House legislation amending an act first passed in 1938 establishing the minimum wage rate for these United States.

From that time to this, it has been the endeavor of all of the chairmen and Members of this Congress, by their vote, in every instance to try to arrive at some figure and at some point in time to a basic minimum wage covering the lower waged workers in America. We were the very first industrial Nation to pass this kind of legislation; yet, today I find no other major industrial nation that is still fragmentizing the minimum wage into various groups. It has created a situation where we still carry on an injustice in that particular area.

Even late coming, emerging industrial nations have seen fit to establish a minimum completely across the entire field of low-wage workers. This has a great deal of merit to it. It is difficult for the Congress, in its many duties which it has to perform, to study and come up with an equitable scheme every 4 or 5 years to try to blend the earnings of various groups into a respectable, reasonable basic wage.