January 24,2007

Baucus Comments on Minimum Wage Bill, Small Business Tax Incentives

Washington, DC – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) issued the
following statement after today’s cloture vote on H.R. 2, a bill to increase the minimum wage.
The Senate is poised to consider a Baucus amendment to the House bill that should garner the 60 votes necessary to move a minimum wage increase forward in the Senate and soon into law.

“It was good to have a vote on the clean minimum wage bill. I know a lot of folks
wanted a minimum wage increase alone. I voted for that too. But we’ve always known
the reality: we need 60 votes in the Senate to increase the minimum wage.

“As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I worked with Senator Grassley and
others to write a small business tax incentives package that will help get us to 60 votes –
and let Congress increase the minimum wage.

“My home state of Montana is a small business state – like many other states in the
country. Small businesses account for more than 95 percent of the jobs in our state. I
want to help our hard-working Montanans and Americans get the wages they deserve
and help our small businesses too.

“We’re trying to work with Republicans to get a reasonable number of amendments
considered to the substitute amendment to H.R. 2, so that this bill can come to a vote.
Today I am urging swift and resounding Senate passage of this legislation. I want to
get a minimum wage increase to America’s workers.”

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