Officials of the investigative arm of Congress have begun gathering information from the government and the private sector in American Samoa to help the US Congress decide whether or not to raise the minimum wage.
Local wages for eighteen industries covered by the federal minimum wage in the territory are frozen until 2015.
A 2007 federal law provided that the local minimum wage be raised by 50 cents each year until it reaches the federal minimum wage of $7.25 US per hour.
However, due to an outcry from the local government and private sector, an amendment was passed to freeze the increases until 2015.
The GAO does not make a recommendation on whether or not to raise the minimum wage, it merely gathers information that helps Congress make the decision.
