Home > Legislative Action Center > Action Alert - 1/19/07

FR: Calls Needed to Support Senate Minimum Wage Bill and Oppose All Weakening or Extraneous Floor Amendments!

Background

The Senate Finance Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to add a package of small business tax incentives to S. 2, The Small Business and Work Opportunity Act of 2007 (minimum wage bill). The small business provisions were deemed necessary to garner the 60 votes needed in the Senate to cut of debate and to allow a vote to proceed on the legislation. “Congress needs to raise the minimum wage now, and this package of tax incentives will help a minimum wage increase pass the Senate and be signed into law,” said Baucus.  The additional provisions include tax credits for small businesses that hire “hard-to-employ workers, increased deductions for improving buildings, and measures to help small businesses simplify their bookkeeping.”  The bill is expected on the Senate floor sometime early next week. A “clean” bill (a minimum wage increase without any additional provisions) increasing the federal hourly minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over two years cleared the House on January 10th by a vote of 315-116, with support by 82 Republicans and 233 Democrats. For more information on the Senate bill, go to http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/legislation.htm.

Message and Action Needed

Urge Senators to raise the minimum wage and to oppose all extraneous or weakening floor amendments that could add unneeded tax breaks, undermine labor standards or shift budget power from Congress to the President through a line-item veto. Call 1 -800-459-1887, toll-free*, to be connected to the U.S. Capitol Switchboard. This number will remain active until after the Senate vote.

Key Senate Republican Targets

Coleman (MN), Collins (ME), Lugar (IN), Snowe (ME), Specter (PA) and Warner (VA). Other possibilities include: Allard (CO), Brownback (KS), Corker (TN), Domenici (NM), Martinez (FL), Murkowski (AK), Smith (OR), Stevens (AK), Sununu (NH) and Voinovich (OH).

*The toll-free number is generously provided by the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization which welcomes groups to circulate and use the toll-free number to support specific policies that promote economic justice and human rights, and without linking the alert to a website soliciting donations or actions which may be used to support partisan lobbying or work.

* * *

Printer Friendly Version