Senators reject plans to raise minimum wage

WASHINGTON — Senate proposals to raise the minimum wage were rejected yesterday, making it unlikely that the wage, which has stood at $5.15 an hour since 1997, will rise in the foreseeable future.

A measure introduced by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., would have raised the minimum wage to $6.25 over an 18-month period. A Republican counterproposal would have combined the same $1.10 increase with various breaks and exemptions for small businesses.

The Kennedy amendment to a spending bill went down 51-47, and the GOP alternative failed 57-42. Under a Senate agreement, they would have needed 60 votes for approval.

Kennedy said Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the depth of poverty in the country, and he pointed out that a single parent with two children working a minimum wage earns $10,700 a year, $4,500 below the poverty line.

Republican opponents said higher minimum wages can work against the poor if they force small businesses to cut payrolls or go out of business.

Senate OKs end to Viagra subsidies

Viagra users will have to give up their federal subsidies under legislation that aims to spend the money instead on the poor and victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The bill, which the Senate approved by voice vote yesterday and sent to the president for his signature, ends federal Medicaid payments for erectile-dysfunction drugs as of Jan. 1, 2006. Medicare payments for such drugs will be terminated on Jan. 1, 2007.

Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., who sponsored the original House bill, said the government could save $690 million over five years by eliminating federal support for the drugs.

The savings will allow the government to extend help for low-income families with their Medicare premiums and also provide $500 million in federal unemployment money to hurricane-affected states.

House moves to shield fast-food chains

The Republican-controlled House voted yesterday to shield fast-food chains from lawsuits that blame them for making people fat.

Nicknamed the "cheeseburger bill," the measure stems from lawsuits accusing McDonald's of causing obesity in tens of thousands of children. The food industry has asked Congress and state legislatures to protect it from liability, and so far, 21 states have agreed.

"You cannot litigate personal choices and lifestyles," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.

The measure, which passed on a 306-120 vote, would prevent class action lawsuits blaming restaurants and food companies for weight gain or obesity. The House passed a similar bill last year, but the Senate ran out of time to act.

Compiled from The Associated Press