00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 37                                                                                           
01 Urging Congress to enact legislation to implement the President's proposed increase                                     
02 in the National Minimum Wage Standard.                                                                                  
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04  WHEREAS the President has proposed to increase the national minimum                                                    
05 wage from $4.25 an hour to $5.15 an hour over the course of two years, by                                               
06 implementing two $.45 increases; and                                                                                    
07  WHEREAS, under this proposal and in accordance with AS 23.10.065(a), the                                               
08 state minimum wage would increase during the same period from $4.75 an hour to                                          
09 $5.65 an hour; and                                                                                                      
10  WHEREAS a single Alaskan working at minimum wage for 40 hours a                                                        
11 week takes home only approximately $150 a week, which is extremely difficult to                                         
12 live on given the state's high cost of food, housing, and medical care; and                                             
13  WHEREAS, for a full-time, year-round worker, a $.90 an hour increase                                                   
14 would raise yearly income by about $1,800; and                                                                          

01  WHEREAS, if the minimum wage remains at its current level, it will be                                                  
02 at a 40-year low in terms of real buying power; and                                                                     
03  WHEREAS an increased minimum wage would provide a strong incentive for                                                 
04 work over welfare; and                                                                                                  
05  WHEREAS United States Department of Labor studies show that moderate                                                   
06 increases in the minimum wage do not have a significant impact on employment;                                           
07   BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges the                                               
08 Congress to enact legislation to implement the President's proposed increase in the                                     
09 minimum wage so that all Americans can benefit from our nation's economy.                                               
10  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton,                                                 
11 President of the United States; the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President of the                                       
12 United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Newt Gingrich,                                            
13 Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Robert Reich, U.S.                                          
14 Secretary of Labor;  and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank                                           
15 Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative,                                             
16 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.