PAUL WISEMAN and GISELA SALOMON
Associated Press
        
Maria worked cleaning schools in Florida for $13 an hour. Every two weeks, she'd get a $900 paycheck from her employer, a contractor. Not much — but enough to cover rent in the house that she and her 11-year-old son share with five families, plus electricity, a cellphone and groceries.
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    Wiseman reported from Washington and Salomon from Miami.
AP Writers Fu Ting and Christopher Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.
 
    
            
    
        
            
                
        
    
        
            
        
            
        
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