Minimum Wage Competitiveness Act of 2005

H.R. 3413, the Minimum Wage Competitiveness Act of 2005, proposed a three-step increase to the federal minimum wage, which at the time of the bill's introduction was $5.15 per hour. The legislation sought to raise the rate to $6.00 shortly after enactment, followed by increases to $6.75 in 2006 and $7.15 in 2007. Additionally, the bill aimed to phase in these federal minimum wage requirements for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which previously operated under different standards.

For the average citizen, this bill would have directly increased the hourly earnings of low-wage workers across the United States and its territories. While the bill was referred to a subcommittee, it did not become law; however, the proposed rate of $7.15 per hour eventually served as a benchmark for future successful legislation that updated federal wage standards.