Chuck Grassley: “President Clinton said in the signing ceremony: I want to thank all the Members of Congress who are here, especially…”

“President Clinton said in the signing ceremony: I want to thank all the Members of Congress who are here, especially Senator Kennedy who, himself, probably broke the wage in hour laws by working so hard to pass this bill. And then in another place: There are a lot of people who worked hard on this bill who aren't here--Senator Daschle, Congressman Gephardt-- He went on to name other Members-- led by truly tireless John Sweeney. And there was applause. Now, some of the same people are objecting to what we are doing now. Another quote: I would also like a very special word of thanks to the business owners, especially the small business owners who supported this bill. Many of the minimum wage employers I talked to wanted to pay their employees more than $4.25 an hour and would be happy to do so as long as they can do it without hurting their businesses, and that means their competitors have to do the same thing. This bill will allow them to compete and win, to have happier, more productive employees, and to know they are doing the right thing. For all those small businesses, I am very, very appreciative. Continuing: I would also say that this bill does a remarkable number of things for small businesses. . . .[a]nd we know that most of the new jobs in America are being created by small- and medium-sized businesses.…”