| March 8, 2005
Yesterday, the Senate defeated two very different minimum wage proposals. Because they were amendments to the bankruptcy bill, there was a 60 vote threshold to pass either amendment.
The Kennedy amendment to simply raise the minimum wage to $7.25 over two years received 46 votes for and 49 against. With four Republicans -- Senators Coleman, Chafee, DeWine, and Domenici voting for the increase. Senator Specter was absent but announced he would have voted for the Kennedy amendment preferring the Kennedy amendment to the Santorum amendment. And three Democrats were absent who would have voted with us -- for an unofficial vote count of 50.
The Santorum amendment to raise the wage to $6.25 over two years and make changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act received 38 votes for and 61 against. All the Democrats present and 17 Republicans --Senators Alexander, Allard, Bond, Burr, Chafee, Chambliss, Coburn, Cochran, Collins, Cornyn, DeMint, Gregg, Inhofe, Isakson, Lott, Sununu, and Vitter--voted against. Some of these more conservative members may have been voting against any increase in the minimum wage, but overall it sends a strong signal.
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