By the design of our forefathers, an evenly divided country would result in an evenly divided Congress. It was also the intention of our forefathers that if Congress was evenly divided, legislation should not move quickly, or in some cases at all, to ensure only the most well considered, bipartisan items were sent to the president. This year, Congress, led by a slim Democratic majority, passed a multitude of legislation; however, sadly even some of the most bipartisan bills have seen the president's veto pen. As the new year fast approaches, Senator Claire McCaskill will send a reminder to Missouri each day of another on her list of top ten congressional accomplishments of 2007 that even the president could not dispute was worth his signature.
Minimum Wage
In one of Senator Claire McCaskill's first votes as a U.S. Senator, she was proud to participate in passing an important and much-needed measure that will touch the lives of so many hard-working Missourians: passing the minimum wage increase. After adjusting for inflation, the value of the minimum wage was at its lowest level since 1955 and had not been increased in over a decade, despite increases in the estimated cost-of-living. Millions of hard-working Missourians struggling to provide for their families will benefit from the much needed increase over the course of the next two years.
Congress enacted an increase in the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour to go into effect over the course of the next two years. Effective July 24, 2007, minimum wage was increased to $5.85 per hour. Although Missouri minimum wage is currently above that level, at $6.50 per hour thanks to a ballot initiative passed November of 2006, Missourians will benefit when the federal minimum wage is increased to $6.55 per hour in 2008 and to $7.25 per hour in 2009. Senator McCaskill was pleased to fulfill her campaign promise to increase the minimum wage and to do her part to help Missourians continue to get the raise they deserve. |
