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Arkansas congressmen unanimous for wage increase Thursday, Jan 11, 2007 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Arkansas congressmen voted with a sweeping majority in the House on Wednesday to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade. The bill would increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over two years. It moves to the Senate. The 315-116 vote was a victory for Democratic leaders who included a wage hike as part of their agenda for the House's first 100 legislative hours. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, said the vote was also a victory for working families. "We can't expect people to get by on $5.15 an hour," Ross said. "This has been a long time coming." Ross, Reps. John Boozman, R-Rogers, Marion Berry, D-Gillett, and Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock, voted with the majority. Arkansas legislation to increase the state's minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.25 took effect last fall. Another 27 states have wage floors higher than the federal minimum. "When half your states have decided they will go and raise their state levels, it seems like a pretty clear message that it's time to raise the federal one," said the Rev. Stephen Copley, a North Little Rock minister who helped spearhead the wage hike in Arkansas. He welcomed the federal increase, though the state's minimum wage workers may not notice an increase for more than a year under the House plan. The bill approved Wednesday would raise the federal wage to $5.85 an hour 60 days after the measure is enacted, $6.55 a year later and $7.25 a year after that. Therefore, the minimum wage in Arkansas would not change again until spring 2008, at the earliest. The Senate is expected to attach tax incentives for small businesses to its version of the minimum wage bill. "It makes sense that we look for ways to provide relief for our small businesses as we work to pass a minimum wage increase," said Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. Boozman and other Republicans introduced a bill to combine the wage increase with small-business tax breaks, but the House did not consider that bill. Boozman said the rationale for small-business tax breaks is the same as what was used as Democrats passed "pay as you go" spending rules in the House last week. "I believe if you increase costs in one area, you must reduce costs to balance it all out," Boozman said. "Instead, Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and the Democrats have ignored their own rhetoric by forcing small businesses to increase costs without providing them a way to balance it out with tax relief." |
