1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov August 5, 2019Minimum Wages and the Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582)Federal Minimum Wage Law Since 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, 29 U.S.C. 206) has required that certain workers be paid a minimum wage. Since then, Congress has raised the minimum wage rate 22
2、times, from $0.25 per hour in 1938 to its last increase on July 24, 2009, to $7.25. (P.L. 110-28 increased it from $5.15 to $7.25 in three steps beginning in 2007). Currently, the FLSA covers most, but not all, enterprises and private and public sector employees. Certain employers and employees are
3、exempt from all or parts of the FLSA minimum wage provisions, either because they do not meet individual or enterprise coverage criteria or through specific exemptions included in the act. In addition, the FLSA provides for the payment of subminimum wages (i.e., less than the statutory rate of $7.25
4、) for certain classes of workers. State and Local Minimum Wages While the federal minimum wage is a nationally mandated wage floor, 29 states and Washington, DC, have enacted a higher state minimum wage. These state minimums range from as high as $14.00 (Washington, DC) to as low as $7.50 (New Mexic