House vote vowed on minimum wage

WASHINGTON -- A key lawmaker said yesterday that Republican leaders would soon hold the first House vote in a decade on increasing the minimum wage, and predicted that the bill will pass on the eve of crucial midterm elections.

House majority whip Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, told a luncheon crowd that leaders will vote on the minimum wage this fall or sooner. GOP leaders have come under heightened pressure from Democrats and moderate Republicans for supporting increases in their own salaries while the federal minimum wage has remained frozen at $5.15 an hour since 1997.

``We're at the point where that vote is coming," Blunt said. ``I'm not sure that it's a `must-pass,' but it will probably be a `will-pass.' "

It's not clear whether House leaders will embrace the increase to $7.25 an hour that Democrats have called for, or offer a more modest proposal that could be tied to changes in labor laws or unrelated legislation. Blunt said the minimum wage would be part of a package of proposals, but an aide said leaders are still working on a specific plan, and said that no specific timeline for a vote has been set.

The promise of a vote is a victory for moderate Republicans, who have been clamoring to take up the minimum wage before the November elections. Democrats have made the stagnant minimum wage a major campaign theme in a range of contested districts, particularly in industrial states.

``It's important to let members know that we're going to have this opportunity to vote on it," said Representative Robert R. Simmons, a Connecticut Republican.

``It's an important issue, and we haven't raised the minimum wage in quite a while."

Simmons was one of 26 moderate Republicans who wrote to House majority leader John A. Boehner two weeks ago asking for a quick vote on the minimum wage. House leaders have said they strongly oppose a higher minimum wage because they believe it would have a negative impact on the economy.

Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said in June that House leaders would probably not allow a vote on the minimum wage. But he quickly softened that stance, saying that while he still believes a higher minimum wage is ``bad economic policy," political realities could force Republicans to grapple with the issue.

The course reversal is testament to Democratic efforts to make the minimum wage a central component of their campaign message. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi has said a higher minimum wage would be the first act of a Democratic-led Congress next year. Democrats need to pick up 15 seats to take control of the House of Representatives.

Democrats in both the House and the Senate have pledged to block all congressional pay increases until the minimum wage is increased. Since 1997, members of Congress have seen their pay rise by $31,600, to $165,200 a year. Meanwhile, inflation has eroded the minimum wage's buying power to its lowest level in more than 50 years.

Democrats said they were pleased with Blunt's promise of a vote, but said they will await the details before promising their support. In previous years, Republicans have offered to raise the minimum wage in proposals that would have simultaneously loosened labor laws or achieved other ends, such as restricting access to abortions.

``We're looking for a real increase without any poison pills that Democrats can't support," said Stacey Farnen Bernards, a spokeswoman for House minority whip Steny H. Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat. ``We're not going to be forced into supporting policies that will hurt other workers."

Republican supporters of a higher minimum wage say they are also looking for a straightforward measure that stands a good chance of becoming law.

``A number of us would like to deal with this sooner rather than later, and more generously rather than less," said Representative Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican. ``A forthright approach is better than a less forthright one. It's an issue of fairness."

Simmons said he was glad to see House leaders recognize the fact that the issue of the minimum wage is extremely important to Republicans who represent parts of the country with strong manufacturing and organized-labor populations.

``The old story is, where you stand depends on where you sit," said Simmons, who is facing a tough reelection challenge this year. ``If you sit in a Northeastern United States pro-labor district, the minimum wage becomes important. That's where I sit. If you sit somewhere perhaps in the South or the West, maybe the minimum wage is not as important."