Foreign Relations Bill

 

H.R.3682

 

A BILL

 

To establish a living wage, jobs for all policy for all peoples in the United States and its territories, and for other purposes.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

 

(a) SHORT TITLE- This Act may be cited as the `A Living Wage, Jobs For All Act'.

 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION POLICY.

 

(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds the following:

(1) UNEVEN PROGRESS- (A) In recent years the income and wealth gaps among individuals in the United States have expanded. 

(B) Many individuals have become rich or richer, poor individuals have become more numerous, and many individuals depend on two jobs.

(E) While some individuals enjoy the best health services in the world , many other individuals are without health care or have inadequate or overly expensive health services.

(G) Some individuals live in safe neighborhoods with good housing and public facilities while many others live in bad or over-crowded housing in dangerous neighborhoods without adequate recreational, educational, library, energy, or public transportation facilities.

(I) The entire country benefits from the education provided by many of the best universities in the world , while suffering from some of the worst high school education in the industrial world .

(J) Despite the existence of efficient technologies for improving the environment, all individuals suffer directly or indirectly from dangerous levels of air, water, and soil pollution, especially agricultural workers.

 

(2) INSECURE PEOPLE- (A) Although about 10,000,000 new jobs have been created in the United States economy between 1993 and 1996, there are nearly 17,000,000 individuals who want jobs and do not have them or are forced to work part-time because they cannot find full-time employment.

(B) Millions of individuals face the threat of downsizing as the result of mergers, plant closings, or higher labor productivity.

(C) New jobs increasingly come at lower wage levels or with few, eroding, or no benefits.

(D) So-called welfare reform is increasing the number of job-seekers but not the number of living wage job opportunities.

 

(4) ENTITLEMENT CONFUSIONS- (A)(i) Among the recipients of corporate welfare, some individuals have been enlarging their collective entitlements.

(ii) This has been done through tax deductions, Government guaranteed loans, price supports, military contracts and other forms of direct or indirect subsidy.

 

(5) DEFECTIVE GROWTH- (A) Recent economic growth has been below the levels needed to provide decent employment for a larger and more productive population.

(B) As a result, many individuals have been forced into jobs that are underpaid, part-time, temporary, irregular, or lacking in health insurance or other social benefits.

(E) These trends have created deeper and longer term poverty or insecurity, with the consequent loss of personal dignity and self-respect.

 

(b) DECLARATION OF POLICY- To help promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, the Congress hereby declares the following to be the policy of the Federal Government:

 

(2) MORE EMPHASIS ON BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES- (A) To help root these ideals of living wage jobs for all individuals in explicit recognition of personal, corporate, and Federal responsibilities.  (B) These include the continuing responsibility of government of the following:

(i) To protect the rights of individuals.

(ii) To nurture healthy partnerships among Federal, State, county, and local government agencies, and between government agencies and such private sectors as nonprofit enterprises, labor unions, trade or fraternal associations, religious groups, and cooperatives.

(iii) To update and continuously improve such fundamental laws and procedures as are required for the protection of private property, the functioning of public utilities, competitive markets, and such limitations on market activities as are necessary to promote the common good by protecting employees, consumers, and the environment.

 

(3) OVERALL DEMOCRATIC PLANNING- To mandate under law an overall planning process of legislative and executive action to help provide the essential remedies and resources needed to attain and maintain conditions under which all Americans may freely fulfill basic human rights and responsibilities, including the right to dignity and to help reduce poverty , inequality, and the concentrations of economic and political power.

 

SEC. 3. BASIC RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

 

(a) UPDATING THE 1944 ECONOMIC BILL OF RIGHTS- The Congress reaffirms the responsibility of the Federal Government to implement and, in accordance with current and foreseeable trends, update the statement by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the State of the Union message of January 11, 1944. The Congress therefore proclaims the following rights as continuing goals of United States public policy:

 

(1) DECENT JOBS- (A) The right of every adult American to earn decent real wages, to a free choice among opportunities for useful and productive paid employment, or for self-employment. The right of every child not to have to work during school hours.  (B) With more full employment at living wages, the economy will be more productive, attain higher levels of responsible and sustainable growth and provide more Federal revenues even without desirable changes in existing tax laws.

(4) FREEDOM FROM MONOPOLIES- (A) The right of every business enterprise, large and small, to operate in freedom from domination by domestic and foreign monopolies and cartels, and from threats of undesirable mergers or leveraged buy-outs, and the right of consumers to obtain goods and services at prices that are not determined by monopolies, cartels, and price leadership.

(B) With more full employment at living wages, more business enterprises will be able to earn profits without monopolistic controls or government welfare and consumers will be able to enjoy lower prices.

(5) DECENT HOUSING- (A) The right of every American to decent, safe, and sanitary housing, public utilities, and community facilities, with adequate maintenance and weatherization, including large-scale rehabilitation of millions of existing buildings, thereby helping to reduce overcrowding and energy loss and the need to build new roads, power plants, storm sewers, sewage, and refuse disposal.

(B) With more full employment at living wages more people will be able afford adequate housing with less government subsidy.

(6) ADEQUATE HEALTH SERVICES- (A) The right of every American to such widely available health services as may be necessary to promote wellness, extend both life expectancy and activity expectancy, and reduce mortality and disability through such non-contagious afflictions as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infant mortality, high blood pressure and obesity, and reduce the incidence of contagious diseases.

(B) With more full employment at living wages, more tax revenues will be available to help finance expanded health services for a larger and older population.

(7) SOCIAL SECURITY- (A) The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, disability, sickness, accident, and unemployment

(B) With more full employment at living wages and higher levels of responsible growth, more tax revenues will be available to help finance Social Security, medicare, medicaid, unemployment compensation, and welfare payments.