http://www.thehill.com/news/041404/wage.aspxSenate Republicans are crafting legislation that would raise the hourly minimum wage by more than a dollar, in an attempt to take a hot-button election-year issue off the table.
The Senate GOP package would be coupled with business-friendly measures to help industry swallow a phased-in $1.10 increase in the nation’s minimum wage.
Sources say Senate Republicans are hoping to convince business leaders that an increase in the minimum wage is likely this year and that their legislative solution is more palatable than Sen. Edward Kennedy’s (D-Mass.). Kennedy has proposed raising the minimum hourly wage from $5.15 to $7.
“Senate Republicans recognize they need to have an alternative,” an industry lobbyist said.