U.S. Senate Nixes Minimum-Wage Hike

Recently, the National Restaurant Association applauded U.S. senators for voting down a bill proposed by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., that sought to raise the federal minimum wage from the current $5.15 an hour to $7.25 over 26 months. The increase would have been implemented in three steps of 70 cents each. The NRA called the proposal to increase the entry-level wage by 41 percent "onerous." The bill was defeated by a 49-to-46 margin, falling well short of the 60 votes needed to pass. A second minimum-wage bill introduced by Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., received only 38 votes in favor and 61 opposed. The Enzi bill called for the wage to be raised by $1.10 over 18 months Source: http://www.nrn.com/story.cfm?ID=422000567&SEC=Daily%20Specials