GOP leaders are not happy about the prospect of a minimum wage increase, but with momentum against them, they are hoping for a compromise that would dispose of the issue before the election year. Democrats are eager for a vote, having identified the minimum wage as one of their top legislative priorities. Lee Culpepper, vice president for the National Restaurant Association, expressed concern that larger tax breaks could obscure the need to help small business. People realize this tax bill is leaving the station, and it may be the last tax bill for this year or perhaps the next two years. They're going to start coming out of the woodwork with their tax proposals.
Some lawmakers have more ambitious plans.
There's no such thing as a Republican travel district or a Democratic travel district. Business groups, which already oppose a Democratic proposal to raise the wage by one dollar over two years, remain uneasy at the prospect of boosting it even higher over a more extended period.