Senate Again Fails to Raise Minimum Wage

dissention · #1 10-19-2005, 05:06 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051019/...minimum_wage_1

By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer 35 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday defeated a proposal to raise the minimum wage, rejecting arguments by Democrats that the current floor, $5.15 an hour for the past eight years, was perpetuating poverty.

The proposal by Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) to raise the lowest wage by $1.10 over an 18-month period was defeated on a near-partyline vote of 51-47 vote.

The Senate was also voting Wednesday on a Republican alternative that combined the same $1.10 increase with various breaks and exemptions for small businesses. It was expected to lose.

Kennedy, D-Mass., said Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the depth of poverty in the country and he pointed out that a single parent with two children working a minimum wage earns $10,700 a year, $4,500 below the poverty line.

He said it was "absolutely unconscionable" that in the same period that Congress has denied a minimum wage increase, lawmakers have voted themselves seven pay raises worth $28,000.

Kennedy, who has campaigned relentlessly for a minimum wage increase, picked up one vote from the 46 votes for a similar measure in March. On Tuesday he modified his proposal, which originally called for a $2.15 increase over 26 months, in hopes of attracting more Republicans.

The first minimum wage of 25 cents an hour was enacted under President Roosevelt in 1938. Congress has since voted eight times to increase it, including under Republican presidents Eisenhower, Ford and George H.W. Bush. Congress approved the last increase in 1996, with the second stage, boosting the rate to $5.15, taking effect in 1997.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages higher than the national level, including Washington State at $7.35, according to the Labor Department. Twenty-six states are the same as the federal level; two — Ohio and Kansas — are below; and six do not have state laws.

Also on Wednesday, Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, proposed adding $3.1 billion to the administration's $2 billion request this year for emergency heating assistance for low income families.

"We're about see a second tidal surge from Katrina and Rita," with rising energy costs, Reed said.

A vote could take place Thursday, with GOP leaders saying an emergency spending bill to be taken up soon was a better venue for the heating assistance debate.

Alabama

Sessions (R) No; Shelby (R) No.

Alaska

Murkowski (R) No; Stevens (R) No.

Arizona

Kyl (R) No; McCain (R) No.

Arkansas

Lincoln (D) Yes; Pryor (D) Yes.

California

Boxer (D) Yes; Feinstein (D) Yes.

Colorado

Allard (R) No; Salazar (D) Yes.

Connecticut

Dodd (D) Yes; Lieberman (D) Yes.

Delaware

Biden (D) Yes; Carper (D) Yes.

Florida

Martinez (R) No; Nelson (D) Yes.

Georgia

Chambliss (R) No; Isakson (R) No.

Hawaii

Akaka (D) Yes; Inouye (D) Not Voting.

Idaho

Craig (R) No; Crapo (R) No.

Illinois

Durbin (D) Yes; Obama (D) Yes.

Indiana

Bayh (D) Yes; Lugar (R) No.

Iowa

Grassley (R) No; Harkin (D) Yes.

Kansas

Brownback (R) No; Roberts (R) No.

Kentucky

Bunning (R) No; McConnell (R) No.

Louisiana

Landrieu (D) Yes; Vitter (R) No.

Maine

Collins (R) No; Snowe (R) No.

Maryland

Mikulski (D) Yes; Sarbanes (D) Yes.

Massachusetts

Kennedy (D) Yes; Kerry (D) Yes.

Michigan

Levin (D) Yes; Stabenow (D) Yes.

Minnesota

Coleman (R) No; Dayton (D) Yes.

Mississippi

Cochran (R) No; Lott (R) No.

Missouri

Bond (R) No; Talent (R) No.

Montana

Baucus (D) Yes; Burns (R) No.

Nebraska

Hagel (R) No; Nelson (D) Yes.

Nevada

Ensign (R) No; Reid (D) Yes.

New Hampshire

Gregg (R) No; Sununu (R) No.

New Jersey

Corzine (D) Not Voting; Lautenberg (D) Yes.

New Mexico

Bingaman (D) Yes; Domenici (R) No.

New York

Clinton (D) Yes; Schumer (D) Yes.

North Carolina

Burr (R) No; Dole (R) No.

North Dakota

Conrad (D) Yes; Dorgan (D) Yes.

Ohio

DeWine (R) Yes; Voinovich (R) No.

Oklahoma

Coburn (R) No; Inhofe (R) No.

Oregon

Smith (R) No; Wyden (D) Yes.

Pennsylvania

Santorum (R) Yes; Specter (R) Yes.

Rhode Island

Chafee (R) Yes; Reed (D) Yes.

South Carolina

DeMint (R) No; Graham (R) No.

South Dakota

Johnson (D) Yes; Thune (R) No.

Tennessee

Alexander (R) No; Frist (R) No.

Texas

Cornyn (R) No; Hutchison (R) No.

Utah

Bennett (R) No; Hatch (R) No.

Vermont

Jeffords (I) Yes; Leahy (D) Yes.

Virginia

Allen (R) No; Warner (R) No.

Washington

Cantwell (D) Yes; Murray (D) Yes.

West Virginia

Byrd (D) Yes; Rockefeller (D) Yes.

Wisconsin

Feingold (D) Yes; Kohl (D) Yes.

Wyoming

Enzi (R) No; Thomas (R) No.

Brwn_eyes0511 · #2 10-19-2005, 05:08 PM

North Carolina

Burr (R) No; Dole (R) No.

I love my NC!

Brwn_eyes0511 · #3 10-19-2005, 05:09 PM

Hey Joshy...I have a question.

I just got the Wildflower CD/DVD deluxe set. When I put the DVD into my DVD player, the only "special" feature that I am getting is the video for "Good is Good". Where is the acoustic tracks and the DVD quality tracks?

Jyqm · #4 10-19-2005, 05:11 PM

And of all the Republicans to vote for it, it was Santorum and Specter of Pennsylvania. I wonder why that is.

I'd also like to see the Republican alternative and find out what kinds of breaks and exemptions are leading Democrats to reject it.

Richard B · #5 10-19-2005, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511

North Carolina

Burr (R) No; Dole (R) No.

I love my NC!

That's because the cost of living is low in NC and in quite a few other states that voted N. Try living on min wage in CA or NY.

Brwn_eyes0511 · #6 10-19-2005, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard B

That's because the cost of living is low in NC and in quite a few other states that voted N. Try living on min wage in CA or NY.

Oh I would LOVE to live in NY.

Brwn_eyes0511 · #7 10-19-2005, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyqm

And of all the Republicans to vote for it, it was Santorum and Specter of Pennsylvania. I wonder why that is.

I'd also like to see the Republican alternative and find out what kinds of breaks and exemptions are leading Democrats to reject it.

Experience proves that the minimum wage hurts more people than it helps.

Jyqm · #8 10-19-2005, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511

Oh I would LOVE to live in NY.

I've got to hand it to you, you really are absolutely brilliant when it comes to completely avoiding an issue that someone brings up. I suppose you learn from the best.

A general question to anyone, since I must admit I'm not terribly well-versed on the ins and outs of this: Do any states have their own minimum wages that are higher than the national minimum wage? And if not, why not? Is this something that state legislatures are not allowed to do?

dissention · #9 10-19-2005, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyqm

And of all the Republicans to vote for it, it was Santorum and Specter of Pennsylvania. I wonder why that is.

I would have thought that Santorum would have voted against it just to thumb his nose at Kennedy, Kerry, and Massachusetts.

Richard B · #10 10-19-2005, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511

Oh I would LOVE to live in NY.

Now don't freak out...but that pic of Ann Coulter looks like Amber Frey, the former lover of convicted murderer Scott Peterson.

Brwn_eyes0511 · #11 10-19-2005, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyqm

I've got to hand it to you, you really are absolutely brilliant when it comes to completely avoiding an issue that someone brings up. I suppose you learn from the best.

A general question to anyone, since I must admit I'm not terribly well-versed on the ins and outs of this: Do any states have their own minimum wages that are higher than the national minimum wage? And if not, why not? Is this something that state legislatures are not allowed to do?

It can be state by state...it just depends.

Brwn_eyes0511 · #12 10-19-2005, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard B

Now don't freak out...but that pic of Ann Coulter looks like Amber Frey, the former lover of convicted murderer Scott Peterson.

You know I have never noticed that.

Jyqm · #13 10-19-2005, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brwn_eyes0511

Experience proves that the minimum wage hurts more people than it helps.

You got a source for that, boy-o?

Also, that doesn't really answer my question about why Santorum and Specter voted for the proposal. Or about what the differences are in the Republican-sponsored proposal.

dissention · #14 10-19-2005, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyqm

A general question to anyone, since I must admit I'm not terribly well-versed on the ins and outs of this: Do any states have their own minimum wages that are higher than the national minimum wage? And if not, why not? Is this something that state legislatures are not allowed to do?

The minimum wage in MA is $6.75. Any state can establish their own minimum wage, it just can't fall below the national minimum wage.

SuzeQuze · #15 10-19-2005, 05:22 PM

There was also a yes vote from DeWine (R) in Ohio.