The American Dream is supposed to be about building a better life through work. If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to support your family, raise your kids, get them a good education, enjoy some of the accoutrements of life: housing, clothing, a decent vacation once in a while, and retirement. But today, tens of millions of hard-working Americans, who are earning at or near the minimum wage, can't even aspire to live a middle-class life or achieve the American Dream. They are falling further and further behind. We need to do more to support these workers as they try to build opportunity for their families and their futures. A critical first step is to ensure that they earn a fair day's pay for a hard day's work. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 would provide a long-overdue increase in the Federal minimum wage. The bill would gradually increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in three annual steps, and then link future increases to the cost of living, so that people who are trying to get ahead don't fall behind as the economy grows.