96% of the Sponsors of the Fair Minimum Wage Act Don't Pay Their Interns

A new study by the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) revealed that 96% of House and Senate sponsors of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 don't pay their interns. The bill, purported to help lift millions of low-wage workers at a time of increasing income inequality, would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. 

Members of Congress — including the bill's authors, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) — are getting serious flack for supporting a 40% wage hike on the private sector while their interns receive no pay.

Chart via minimumwage.com

It's hypocritical. If you believe in a higher minimum wage for all Americans, you should support the interns that help your office function. Here are the 4% of the bill's sponsors (nine in total) who put their money where their mouth is and offer some kind of compensation to their interns: Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.).

Now, let's see the rest of the co-sponsors of this bill give interns what they deserve: compensation.