Mike Enzi: “I rise to summarize my comments regarding the amendments and to urge my colleagues to cast a vote against the Kennedy…”

“I rise to summarize my comments regarding the amendments and to urge my colleagues to cast a vote against the Kennedy amendment and in favor of the minimum wage amendment I have offered. What is before the Senate are two amendments that raise the minimum wage by the same amount, $1.10 over 18 months. The difference between the bills is that the Kennedy amendment, while raising the minimum wage the same amount as my amendment, fails to acknowledge that any raise in the minimum wage has some negative consequences on the employers, particularly small employers, who must find the means to pay for the increase. The fact is that a negative economic impact on a small employer will probably result in a negative impact on that small employer's employees. This is an important aspect. When you give a pay increase, you have to find a way to pay for it. My amendment recognizes that reality and provides some relief for those employers. It should be borne in mind these employers, particularly small employers, are the source of the vast majority of jobs that are held by minimum wage workers. We have to continue to keep these businesses viable and growing as a source of job creation. As I said before, I wish for the people working in those places to be the ones owning the business, and I have shared some examples of how that happens.…”