said. “Eighty-one hundred of the wealthiest families hit the jackpot while working Americans pay the debt.” [Vote 229, 8/3/06; New York Times, 8/4/06; San Francisco Chronicle, 8/4/06; AP, 8/5/06]  XXXX Backed “Trifecta” Bill Cut Salaries For Minimum Wage Earners in Some States. The “trifecta” bill XXXX supported would have counted employee tips against minimum wage hikes in a seven states – California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska, Montana and Minnesota – which would actually cut salaries for these workers. ''Cutting the salaries of Washington tip workers by more than $5 an hour is horrible,'' said Sen. Maria Cantwell, who called the legislation ''a cynical ploy on the part of the Republican leadership in an election year.''' [Vote 229, 8/3/06; San Francisco Chronicle, 8/4/06; San Francisco Chronicle, 8/4/06] XXXX Voted Against Raising the Minimum Wage. In June 2006, XXXX voted against an amendment introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy to raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. [AP, 6/23/06; Vote 179, 6/21/06] XXXX Voted Against a REAL Minimum Wage Increase. In 2005, XXXX voted against an amendment that would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over 26 months. [Vote 26, 3/7/05]  XXXX Voted For Sham GOP Effort to Raise the Minimum Wage. In 2005, XXXX voted for a Republican amendment that would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.25 over 18 months in two 55- cent increments. This bill would actually reduce wages for low-income workers by replacing a 40 hour work week with an 80 hour two week accounting period. Under current law, a worker who worked 50 hours in one week and 30 in the next gets 10 hours of overtime pay. Under the amendment the same worker would receive no overtime pay. [Vote 27, 3/7/05; Washington Times, 3/8/05] XXXX Again Voted Against a Real Minimum Wage Increase. In October 2005, XXXX voted against an amendment that would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to 6.25 an hour over one year. [Vote 257, 10/19/05]  XXXX Voted For Sham Minimum Wage Increase. In an October 2005, procedural vote XXXX voted for a sham minimum wage increase that would have raised the minimum wage to $5.70 six months after enactment and to $6.25 eighteen months after enactment. The bill also contained provisions favorable to business including exempting businesses with gross annual sales of under $1 million; permitting private- sector workers to participate in bi-weekly flex-hour programs; excluding tips from the minimum wage rates paid to restaurant workers; and providing tax benefits for small business owners. [Vote 258, 10/19/05; AP, 10/20/05] XXXX Voted For A Republican Bill To Increase Minimum Wage By $1 Over 2 Years. In 2000, XXXX voted for a Republican measure to increase the minimum wage, to improve Federal health care benefits, to permit controlled substances to be used for pain management but not assisted suicide or euthanasia, and to reauthorize the Small Business Act (H.R. 2614). The bill would increase the minimum wage by $1 over 2 years (it will be $6.25 per hour as of January 1, 2002). The motion to proceed was agreed to, 55-40. [Vote 286, 10/26/00] XXXX Voted Against Increasing The Minimum Wage By $1 Over 1 Year. In 2000, XXXX voted against an amendment that would express the sense of the Senate that the functional totals in the resolution assume that Congress should increase the minimum wage by $1 over 1 year, with a 50-cent increase effective May 2, 2000 and another 50- cent increase effective on May 2, 2001. The amendment was agreed to, 51-48. [Vote 76, 4/7/00] XXXX Voted for A Republican Amendment To Increase The Minimum Wage. In 2000, XXXX voted for an amendment that would strike all after the first word of the amendment and would insert that it is the sense of the Senate that the functional totals in the resolution assume that the minimum wage should be increased as provided for in the Domenici amendment to the Bankruptcy Reform Bill. The amendment was agreed to, 51-49. [Vote 75, 4/7/00] 225