ENZI: A VOTE FOR CLOTURE IS A VOTE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND WORKING FAMILIES

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member ofthe Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today said the Senate has rejected a partisan, one-sided approach to raise the minimum wage and voted to move forward a bipartisan, fair and balanced minimum wage increase that supports both working families and the small businesses that will face the greatest difficulties in meeting a federally mandated wage hike. “Raising the minimum wage without providing relief for the small businesses that must pay for that increase is simply not an option,” Enzi said. “In the long run, we simply cannot claim to be helping workers while at the same time we hurt the businesses that employ them. “A vote for cloture is a vote for small businesses and working families. It is a vote for a well balanced and bipartisan solution.” The Senate approved today the motion to file cloture on the Baucus Substitute Amendment to H.R. 2, the minimum wage bill. The Senate can now proceed to a final vote on that amendment, which couples an increase in the federal wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour with targeted tax and regulatory relief for small businesses. “In addressing minimum wage we have rejected the misguided notion that it be a ‘clean bill,’ because it is not a ‘clean’ issue. While pretending that economics or social issues are simple often makes for great rhetoric, and always makes for great politics, it seldom makes for responsible policy. Around here, ‘clean,’ more often than not, simply means ‘do it my way’ and does not respect the democratic process of the Senate and allowing the Senate to work its will. “I am pleased that we rejected such false simplicity here and chose the course of coupling an increased wage with provisions that will assist those small business employers that will face the greatest difficulties in paying such increased costs. I hope we do not forget the wisdom of this approach as we address other workplace, economic and social issues.” ####