94-3, Minimum Wage Bill Passes Senate
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Good Decisions, LegislationDems worked with Repubs and got the job done. Bravo.
WASHINGTON – The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to boost the federal minimum wage by $2.10 to $7.25 an hour over two years, but packaged the increase with controversial tax cuts for small businesses and higher taxes for many $1 million-plus executives. [...]A top priority of Democrats, the wage hike has both real and symbolic consequences. It would be one of the first major legislative successes of the new Democratic-controlled Congress.
“Passing this wage hike represents a small but necessary step to help lift America’s working poor out of the ditches of poverty and onto the road toward economic prosperity,” said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
President Bush urged the House to support the measure, including the tax help for small business. He said, “The Senate has taken a step toward helping maintain a strong and dynamic labor market and promoting continued economic growth.”
So, what are the next steps?
The bill must now be reconciled with the House version passed Jan. 10 that contained no tax provisions. House Democrats have insisted they want a minimum wage bill with no strings attached, though some have conceded the difficulty of passing the legislation in the Senate without tax breaks.Republicans stressed the importance of the business tax breaks in the bill, though it was a significantly smaller tax package than Republicans had sought during previous attempts to raise the minimum wage.
“The Senate’s reasonable approach recognizes that small businesses have been the steady engine of our growing economy and that they have been a source of new job creation, a source of job training,” said Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., who helped manage the debate for the GOP.
I love it when a bi-partisan plan comes together…
Oh, and by the way…who were the three who said no? Why, Coburn (R-OK), DeMint (R-SC) and Kyl (R-AZ).
FYI.
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February 1st, 2007 at 9:16 pm
And the other question is who were the two who didn’t vote?
February 2nd, 2007 at 2:28 pm
…and another question is, where were all these YES voting Republicans over the past 6 years? Perhaps they were secure that their base would keep them in office in spite of abandoning the poor? Their base would have been better off if they had passed one of the earlier versions. How many of the Republicans who blocked it from coming up for a floor vote finally voted for it in the end? These are obviously politicians who vote for their own interests first. Voters on both sides of the aisle should make sure they are lame duck Senators.
February 3rd, 2007 at 10:33 am
Huzzah! Less than 1.5% of all workers in the United states (60% of whom are teenagers or young adults) finally get a 2$ hourly pay raise. Thats an extra dime-bag of pot every week for the nations fast-food-chain working youth.
Thank you Congress for avoiding one of the worst economic crises since the Soho heroin panic of 1973.
February 5th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
It passed, but not before Republicans tied a tax cut to it, albeit a small business tax cut.
February 6th, 2007 at 1:16 am
RE Tax cut: Gotta find some way to counterbalance the unemployment rate increase that ALWAYS occurs every time the minimum wage is increased, targeted especially among the poor, unskilled, and minority workers of America. The minimum wage reality is that it hurts those the minimum wage rhetoric says it helps. Who benefits? Unions which give the Democrats 99% support, their pay is based on a minimum wage multiplier.
Except for American Samoa of course. Wouldn’t want companies based in Pelosi’s district negatively influenced by this “boon” for the poor.
Oh and last I checked, reducing taxes was generally a “moderate” principle. Only liberals have problems when the public isn’t getting enough money taken at gun point to run massive, bloated, ineffective government programs.
February 6th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
…counterbalance the unemployment rate increase that ALWAYS occurs every time the minimum wage is increased…
ALL CAPS does not an argument make: “A 2003 survey by Dan Fuller and Doris Geide-Stevenson reports that 46% of academic economists in the US fully agreed with the statement, “a minimum wage increases unemployment among young and unskilled workers”, 28% agreed with a proviso, and 27% disagreed.”
(http://www.indiana.edu/~econed/pdffiles/fall03/fuller.pdf)
Except for American Samoa of course.
More moderation. This was pretty funny when a swarm of wingnuts were brought this up on a WaPo live-chat with Jonathan Wiesmann. He essentially gave them a swirly-whirly and sent them on their way.
Only liberals have problems when the public isn’t getting enough money taken at gun point to run massive, bloated, ineffective government programs.
Pretty laughable framing from someone who seeks to be considered a “moderate.”