Show House approves minimum wage increase Richard Simon Los Angeles Times The Houses House's Democratic majority exercising its new new political clout on Wednesday approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade decade- from to an hour over two years The measure heads to the Senate where it is likely to tobe tobe tobe be coupled with tax breaks for small businesses to win Republican votes in the narrowly divided chamber and to secure President Bushs Bush's signature The minimum wage has been unchanged since 1997 the longest period 4 1 J without a raise since the first minimum wage was enacted in m 1938 Calif California where the minimum wage increased to Jan 1 and will rise to 8 at the start of next year is among 28 states with minimum wages that exceed the existing federal rate An increase in the minimum wage was among the initiatives House Democrats pledged to pass during their first hours in power It was approved with 82 Republicans joining Democrats in voting for it All the theno theno theno no votes were cast by t O. O h Republicans What a difference an election makes said Rep George Miller D D-Calif chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee Once the minimum wage is increased he told colleagues during the debate you dramatically change life for millions of people House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer D said workers relying on an hour were essentially living in poverty The White House said in a statement that an increase in the minimum wage should be tied to f iJ i 7 i if f J 10 l' l tax and regulatory relief to help small businesses stay competitive and to help keep the economy growing Under the measure approved by the House and introduced in the Senate the wage would climb to an hour 60 days after the legislation is enacted one year later and another year later The minimum wage first enacted at the rate of 25 cents an hour as part of President Franklin D. D Roosevelt's New Deal plan to pull the nation out of the Great Depression has long been a rallying point for Democrats L I Y j i iX rL r- r t Rep Jeb Hensarling ng R- R Texas R-Texas Texas contended that employers would cut jobs and benefits to pay for a wage minimum-wage increase truth is that mandated minimum- minimum wage increases hurt small businesses thus impeding job creation and ultimately hurting the people it is designed to help he lie said Senate debate on a wage minimum increase is IS expected to begin as early as next week Sen Edward M. M Kennedy D chairman of the Senate committee that Minimum Wage Continued on page 6 r Ef f t eo V iti Mi jj Me Minimum e wage hike Continued from page 1 I handles labor issues has championed the minimum- minimum wage increase Wednesday he called the House vote a major victory for 13 million wage minimum-wage workers But the fight is not over yet he said We will need support from both parties to pass this important bill and send it to the president The restaurant industry and other employers were already at work lobbying the Senate for tax breaks for small businesses Sen Max Baucus D- D Mont chairman of the Senate Finance Committee predicted a wage increase would be accompanied by tax breaks for small businesses in the Senate bill Small business tax packages have traveled with wage minimum-wage increases before he said The Senate will probably vote to attach such a package to this years year's wage minimum-wage increase as well |