The act was a component of the new
Democratic majority's
100-Hour Plan in the
United States House of Representatives. It was introduced into the House on January 5, 2007, by
George Miller (D-CA) and it was passed by the House on January 10. All 233 House Democrats voted "Aye," and 82
Republicans joined them. 116 Republican representatives voted "No," and 4 representatives did not vote. President Bush advised that the bill should include tax cuts for small businesses that could be harmed by the wage increase, and on January 24, 2007, a
cloture motion in the Senate failed as 43 Republican Senators (all but 5) rejected the bill without the tax cuts, opposing all 47 Democrats who were present for the vote. Once tax cuts were added to the bill, the Senate passed the amended bill 94-3 (3 Republicans opposed and 1 did not vote; 2 Democrats did not vote) on February 1, 2007
and the Senate on May 24, 2007 as part of
HR 2206, the supplemental aid to the
Iraq War. As part of the deal, $257 million worth of tax breaks were given to small business over a 10-year period to offset the wage increase.
[7] The bill was thus ultimately enacted as a
rider to the
U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007. President
George W. Bush signed the bill on the next day
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 - Wikipedia