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Senate near passage of minimum wage increase

By STEVE GERSTEL

WASHINGTON -- The Senate neared passage of an increase in the minimum wage to $4.25 an hour Tuesday and Labor Secretary Elizabeth Dole urged fellow Republicans not to tamper with the legislation.

Senate Democratic leader George Mitchell expressed hope the Senate could pass the bill before the end of the day and send it to President Bush for his promised signature.

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Final action on the bill was temporarily delayed until the return of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a major opponent, from his home state and a canvass of Republican senators to determine if any amendments would be offered.

Mitchell indicated that passage could be delayed if the Senate takes up debt ceiling legislation, which must move through Congress before midnight Wednesday to keep the government from going into default.

Mitchell said he had received a letter from Dole urging the Senate to approve the bill, a compromise worked out by the administration and congressional leaders, with no amendments.

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The House passed the minumum wage increase, the first in nine years, 382-37, last week. Passage by the Senate without amendment would send it directly to the White House.

The bill worked out by the administration and congressional leaders would raise the minumum wage to $4.25 an hour over two years, with the first boost set for April 1, 1990, and the second a year later. The current minimum is $3.35 an hour.

The legislation also includes a sub-minumum wage for those 16 to 19 during the first 90 days of employment, which can be extended another 90 days if the employee is in a job-training program. That wage would be $3.35 an hour until March, 31, 1990, and $3.61 for the following year, after which it would end.

Earlier this year, Bush vetoed a bill that would have raised the minimum wage to $4.55 a hour over three years. Bush refused to budge from the $4.25 figure.

By limiting the training wage to teenagers, about 7 million low wage workers of the 11 million drawing less than $4.25 an hour would be exempt because they are adults.

Also missing from the original bill, at the insistence of the administration, is the creation of a Minimum Wage Review Commission, composed of neutral experts, who would make recommendations on the minimum wage.

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Senate Democratic leader George Mitchell expressed hope the Senate could pass the bill before the end of the day and send it to President Bush for his promised signature.

Final action on the bill was temporarily delayed until the return of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a major opponent, from his home state and a canvas of Republican senators to determine if any amendments would be offered.

Mitchell indicated that passage could be delayed if the Senate takes up debt ceiling legislation, which must move through Congress before midnight Wednesday to keep the government from going into default.

Mitchell said he had received a letter from Dole urging the Senate to approve the bill, a compromise worked out by the administration and congressional leaders, with no amendments.

The House passed the minumum wage increase, the first in nine years, 382-37, last week. Passage by the Senate without amendment would send it directly to the White House.

The bill worked out by the administration and congressional leaders would raised the minumum wage to $4.25 an hour over two years, with the first boost set for April 1, 1990, and the second a year later. The current minimum is $3.35 an hour.

The legislation also includes a sub-minumum wage for those 16 to 19 during the first 90 days of employment, which can be extended another 90 days if the employee is in a job-training program. That wage would be $3.35 an hour until March, 31, 1990, and $3.61 for the following year, after which it would end.

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Earlier this year, Bush vetoed a bill that would have raised the minimum wage to $4.55 a hour over three years. Bush refused to budge from the $4.25 figure.

By limiting the training wage to teenagers, about 7 million low wage workers of the 11 million drawing less than $4.25 an hour would be exempt because they are adults.

Also missing from the original bill, at the insistence of the administration, is the creation of a Minimum Wage Review Commission, composed of neutral experts, who would make recommendations on the minimum wage.

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