Posted on 12/04/2006 1:07:51 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to fast-track efforts to boost the federal minimum wage and could seek to bring a bill directly to the House floor in January.
The new Democrat-controlled 110th Congress convenes on Jan. 4 and Pelosi of California has made clear that raising the federal minimum wage is a top priority she wants the House to accomplish in its first 100 hours of legislative business.
The legislation is likely to call for phased-in increase in the current federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour along the lines of a proposal written by Rep. George Miller (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., the incoming chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.
Attempts to lift the federal minimum wage during the Republican-controlled Congress had failed.
In the new congressional session, a House bill boosting the federal minimum wage probably will go straight to the floor for consideration, bypassing the Education and the Workforce committee, said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly, lobbyists and others involved in the process.
At this point, Pelosi's preference is for a "stand alone" minimum wage bill that is not tied to other legislative endeavors, Daly and others said.
Organized labor and other supporters of boosting the minimum wage contend it will help the working poor. But business groups and other opponents counter that it could lead to, among other things, higher prices for good and services or force companies, especially smaller ones, to cut entry-level, low-skilled jobs to pay for the wage boost.
In the Senate, business lobbyists believe a bill to boost the minimum wage is more likely to be advanced through committee, giving them an opportunity to try and sweeten the pot with other things such as faster depreciation, for instance, of restaurant buildings, something the restaurant industry would like.
Lovely.
Put a hold on this and delay like the Dems did...
How about faster depreciation of technology ? That's got to be obsolete sooner than a restaurant's bricks, for Pete's sake.
It's the wrong time for a 40% increase in the minimum wage. The economy is already groaning under the weight of government.
Union contracts are typically pegged to the minimum wage. Raise the minimum and the union contracts automatically ratchet up.
Personally I think it should be $100,000 per hour, that way you only have to work an hour a year plus they could just rotate people in and out, to just spread the wealth around, donchaknow.
The Jobs Elimination Act of 2007.
And by the way, exactly who is going to benefit from a minimum wage increase?
A pay raise based not on merits but on having the lowest skills. Bizzarro world. I am glad to see that of all the problems our Great Nation faces, she think the minimum wage (in which less then 1% of the workforce earns) is the most important. They certainly have there priorities.
Right?
For or against isnt the point, adding ammendments like they did is.
atta girl. way to prioritize.
I don't care what she does or the Senate. I am focused on the President!!! I am anxiously waiting to see what he will VETO! I am so worried that he will continue to sign and sign and sign. Gosh, I hope I am wrong. Whatever gets through the House and Senate and gets signed by the President will be blamed on the President and NOT the senate or house (unless they have VETO proof votes but even then the President should VETO anyway). We will see how the Presidents last two years are going to play out. I am sooooo curious.
According to Stephanopolous, Clinton kept the promises he meant to keep. Pelosi will do the same.
This increase in the minimum wage may also spur a new wave of illegal immigration as employers may find it cheaper to hire illegals "off the books" rather than pay $7.25/hour for legal unskilled labor.
Of course any bad things that happen will be George Bush's fault.
The House minority is powerless to do so. The Senate is where things can (and will) grind to a halt.
Yeah, but the min wage is only for poor people. If you increase it to $100 per hour, then you might help some rich people, and that would be bad.
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