Representatives Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Greg Casar (TX-35), and Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) joined by 22 colleagues introduced the Pay Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Act, which establishes a national minimum wage floor of $45,000 for full-time education paraprofessionals and education staff working in public K-12 schools. This bill, led in the Senate by Senator Ed. Markey (D-MA), recognizes the essential role that classroom aides, bus drivers, food service workers, custodians, and clerical staff play in keeping schools running and students safe. More than one-third of these workers earn under $25,000 a year. This bill will ensure that no one working full-time in a school earns poverty-level wages. “Behind every successful school day, there is a team of workers you don’t always see. They help students learn one-on-one, prepare their meals, provide safe rides to and from school, and keep the classrooms clean, yet sometimes they make less than $25,000 a year. The majority of these paraprofessionals and education support workers are women and people of color,” said Congressman García. The legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).