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Alaskan Congressman Don Young is pleased to announce that the long awaited federally mandated minimum wage increase takes effect today.  Defying calls from his own party to oppose this bill, Congressman Young voted in favor of H.R. 2 when it passed the House on January 10, 2007 because he believes working Americans deserve an increase in their paychecks.  Since this bill did not make it out of the Senate, it was included in the Emergency Supplemental bill which passed the House on May 10, 2007, where Congressman Young voted again to raise the minimum wage.  This Emergency Supplemental also included a Small Business Tax Incentive provision, secured by the Republican Party, which translates to $5 billion in meaningful tax relief for small business owners to offset any possible negative effects caused by the minimum wage increase.

 â€œToday has been a long day coming,” said Congressman Young.  “The working people of America and of Alaska deserve to be paid a living wage and this bill is a step in the right direction.  I’m also very pleased with the small business provision in this bill.  Alaska is ripe with small businesses that need our assistance; they are the lifeblood of our economy!  We cannot recognize one section of the working population without acknowledging the other.  We have alleviated the burden to both sides, and that is something I am proud to say I have been a part of.”

 This increase raises the minimum wage 70 cents to $5.85 per hour.  It will continue to rise over the next two years, eventually reaching $7.25 per hour in July 2009.

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