Senate Again Fails to Raise Minimum Wage

[dissention]

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.