Congressional Dems seek to raise minimum wage

President Barack Obama says he believes a framework to cut the country's massive debt can be reached before Christmas. (Nov. 28)

Congressional Dems seek to raise minimum wage

Published: 08:17:14 PM, Tue 05 March 2013 UTC

WASHINGTON (AP) — House and Senate Democrats want to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, more than a dollar higher than President Barack Obama proposed in his State of the Union address.

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and California Rep. George Miller say their bill, introduced Tuesday, would boost the minimum from its current rate of $7.25 an hour by 2015. It then calls for automatic annual increases tied to changes in the cost of living.

Obama's proposal last month called for an increase to $9 an hour, but Harkin says that doesn't go far enough.

The lawmakers say a hike in the minimum wage would help lift millions of workers out of poverty and boost the economy. But top Republicans have rejected the idea, saying it would hurt employers.

Tags: ap, republicans, bill clinton, sen. tom harkin, miller, democratic party, united states senate, united states, culture_politics, tuesday, proposal, president of the united states, illinois, united states presidential election, 2008, changes, minimum wage, idea, iowa, millions, president barack obama, lawmakers, economy, dollar, barack obama, washington, house, state, poverty, employers, hike, union address, senate democrats, current rate, automatic annual increases, california rep. george, congressional dems