Political Quotes

“this is an amendment that merely carries out the intent that Congress has shown on many occasions to exclude the smallest of the small employers from the burdens of a minimum wage. Basically, it says that for firms grossing less than $500,000, the small mom and pop businesses, the folks in your neighborhood, the people who are just getting by and providing a few jobs in their community, will not be subjected to the increase in the minimum wage. This does not say that their workers will not be protected by the current minimum wage or by Federal overtime provisions. It just says that we are not going to put another burden on the backs of those very small employers by ordering them to add 20 percent to their payroll costs for those who are employed at minimum wage. As the Clinton administration's own Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Phil Lader, said, this kind of exemption, this two-tiered system makes sense. It protects minimum wage jobs in the smallest business and it protects small business. Those of us who have talked with and, more importantly, listened to small business people throughout this country know that the burdens of Government regulation, Government mandates fall very heavily on small business. This amendment just says we are not going to put another mandate, another heavy financial burden, on the very smallest of the small employers on Main Street in your community and my community.”