b'PVAmembersdobusiness.Theseinclude Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire,NorthCarolina,Pennsylvania, SouthCarolina,Tennessee,Texas,Virginia, and Wisconsin.In July 2019, Democrats in the U.S. House ofRepresentativesfirstapprovedtheRaise the Wage Act.The vote was 231-199.Six Democrats dissented, while three Republicans voted in favor.The Senate never voted on the bill, so the legislation died at the end of the 116th Congress.Earlierthisyear,HouseDemocratstried again.They included the text of the Raise the Wage Act as part of the presidents economic stimuluslegislation,theAmericanRescue PlanAct.However,theparliamentarianof the U.S. Senate ruled that the provision could not be considered under the rules established forreconciliationbills(thatis,billsnot subjecttofilibusterandthereforeneeding only a majority vote).Eight of the 50 Senate DemocraticSenatorsrefusedtovoteto override the parliamentarians ruling, thereby effectively dooming the Raise the Wage Act as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.The political landscape for raising the federal minimum wage is bleak for achieving a $15 an hour figure over the next five years is daunting.While the president supports this effort, and it appears that a thin majority in the House is prepared to vote for it, the votes dont seem to be there in a Senate that is evenly split on a party basis.Mighttherebeacompromiseversionofa federalminimumwageincreasethatcould achievethe60Senatevotesnecessaryto overcome a filibuster by opponents?It would bedifficulttoachieve,butnotimpossible.DemocraticSenatorJoeManchinofWest Virginia is not in favor of $15 an hour, but he has said he could vote for $11.Republican SenatorsMittRomneyofUtahandTom CottonofArkansashaveindicatedsupport for $10 an hour.If a bipartisan group could coalesce around a lesser figure in the $10-$11 range, liberal Democrats who have promised to Fight for $15 may have to choose to stand on their principles, resulting in no legislation at all, or grudgingly support a compromise not to their liking.APRIL 2021 25 LEGISLATIVE REPORT'