European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 22, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday april 222007 stars and stripes Page 17 minimum wage increase clears big hurdle or of by Andrew Taylor the associated press efforts to raise the minimum wage to an hour got a big boost Friday evening As House Senate negotiators reached a Deal on a package of business tax incentives accompanying the wage increase the wage would increase from to per hour Over the next two years under companion House and Senate Bills the House originally passed a minimum wage Bill without tax Breaks for businesses but the Senate insisted on tax Breaks House and Senate negotiators finally agreed on billion in tax cuts for Small businesses Over 10 years about half the tax Relief would go to extend tax Breaks for businesses hiring people on welfare and other difficult Ohire workers Congress last increased the minimum wage in 1996 the new legislation would raise the mini mum wage in three Steps it would go to an hour 60 Days after the president signed it into Law then to an hour a year later and to an hour a year after that this package provides common sense responsible tax Relief so our Small businesses can continue to hire new workers and promote economic growth in our communities said ways and Means committee chairman Charles Rangel any Senate finance committee member now even equipped with the Best financing buy Down offer on Volvo car Loans optional extras available at special prices Jav As utile As up Totsc months actual loan Terra based or amount borrowed special Volvo financing is provided n cooperation with Pentagon Fedewa Creck Unten the credit Union does not endorse any merchant or product in this advertisement buy Down offer 25 on ail new ordered Volvo s40 v50 v70 valid for s50 s80 and xc90 As Well As selected demo models is 000 Deposit required for All models cars a great Deal Charles Grassley Iowa said the Compro Mise Bill would give Only bar Bones Relief to businesses hiring minimum wage work ers that democrats stripped key Rev enu raising reforms under pressure from business interests democrats dropped Lan Guage closing loopholes on offshore tax shelters and capping deferred compensation payments to corporate executives this package is stripped of a lot of meaningful tax Relief Grassley said missing Are Many of the tax abuse crack Downs from the Senate Bill House passes Bill to give by Utah new House seats the associated press Washington the people of the District of Columbia moved a step closer thursday to gaining voting rights denied to them for More than 200 years but the legis lation passed by the House on a 241177 vote faced a veto threat from the White House which said the Bill was unconstitutional the Bill would increase full House membership from 435 to 437 giving the largely democratic Hal million residents of the District a seat and adding a temporary a Large seat for Republican lean ing Utah the House has consisted of 435 seats since 1960 the Bill has gone to the Senate Senate Republican Leader Mitch Mcconnell Ray echoing the position of the Bush administration said it was unconstitutional and he would oppose it this legislation corrects a Seri Ous flaw in our democracy said House speaker Nancy Pelosi Calif we will not rest until foil voting representation in the House is granted to the District of Colum Bia democrats had to pull a nearly identical Bill from the floor a month ago after republicans sur prised them by proposing Lan Guage with a Good Chance of pass ing that would have lifted the districts ban on semiautomatic weapons and other Tough gun restrictions this time Over Strong pro tests from republicans democrats came prepared with a floor procedure blocking a gun vote under that procedure limiting gop options for changing the Bill the House separately took up a Small Revenue raising Bill to pay for the Cost of elections in the District that passed 216203 opponents of the legislation pointed to article i Section 2 of the Constitution which says members of the House should be chosen by the people of the several states judges and Legal experts agree that since do is not a state it can not elect members of Congress said rep Lamar Smith Texas top Republican on the judiciary committee supporters say the Constitution Grants Congress the authority to give the District full voting rights rep Tom Davis Rva of Washington suburbs said District Resi dents had paid taxes with others in the us last week and had served in War he urged other republicans to see through the fog of Arm chair constitutional analyses and do the right Lhing