College Affordability Act of 2008
Rise in minimum wage
Higher Education Act reauthorization
Democrats also have passed:

* funding to ensure first responders have the tools they need to do their jobs and enhance security at our airports, ports and mass transit facilities
* a raise in the minimum wage for the first time in a decade
* health care for millions of low-income children health care
* pay-as-you-go budgeting that restores fiscal responsibility to Washington
* tough ethics and lobbying reforms reversing the Republican culture of corruption
* energy legislation that creates jobs and strengthens national security
* a pay raise for our troops
* improvemen...

College Affordability Act of 2008
Rise in minimum wage
Higher Education Act reauthorization
Democrats also have passed:

* funding to ensure first responders have the tools they need to do their jobs and enhance security at our airports, ports and mass transit facilities
* a raise in the minimum wage for the first time in a decade
* health care for millions of low-income children health care
* pay-as-you-go budgeting that restores fiscal responsibility to Washington
* tough ethics and lobbying reforms reversing the Republican culture of corruption
* energy legislation that creates jobs and strengthens national security
* a pay raise for our troops
* improvements to the care our veterans receive when they come home from battle
* legislation that makes higher education affordable for more Americans
* funding to help rebuild the Gulf Coast

WASHINGTON -- After a decade-long wait, America's lowest-paid workers saw Congress poised Thursday to increase the federal minimum wage by $2.10.


For years, the idea of increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour has been stalled by partisan bickering between Republicans and Democrats.

That almost became the fate of this year's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 over two years. Democratic leaders attached the provision to the $120 billion Iraq war spending bill, which was vetoed by the GOP-controlled White House on May 1 because Democrats insisted on a pullout date for American troops.



But the House passed a rewritten bill Thursday 280...

WASHINGTON -- After a decade-long wait, America's lowest-paid workers saw Congress poised Thursday to increase the federal minimum wage by $2.10.


For years, the idea of increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour has been stalled by partisan bickering between Republicans and Democrats.

That almost became the fate of this year's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 over two years. Democratic leaders attached the provision to the $120 billion Iraq war spending bill, which was vetoed by the GOP-controlled White House on May 1 because Democrats insisted on a pullout date for American troops.



But the House passed a rewritten bill Thursday 280-142, and the Senate planned to do the same later in the day. With President Bush already giving the bill his blessing, it seemed likely that the end is near for the longest stretch without the federal pay floor rising since the minimum wage was established in 1938.

"We're very hopeful we're going to see finally that increase in the next couple of days," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., the chairman of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee.

This would be the first change since the minimum wage went from $4.75 to $5.15 on Sept. 1, 1997, under President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress.

The minimum wage provisions were one part of the Iraq war spending bill that did not change. The minimum wage goes up to $5.85 two months after Bush signs the bill.

then to $6.55 one year later and to $7.25 the next year.