2006 Montana Senate Debate: on Jobs


Conrad Burns: Minimum wage increase OK if packaged with tax cut

Q: How will you vote on a minimum wage increase?

BURNS: I will probably vote for it, if there’s things in the bill for small business. It all has to be packaged together. We’ve got to make the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 permanent. If we don’t, a young person’s tax bill will go up by 48% in 2011. A family of four, their tax obligation will go up 58%. So I voted for that package, to make it permanent so we won’t face that higher federal obligation, and in that was an increase in minimum wage.

TESTER: One of the good things about the Montana legislature is that we get bills on one topic. If a person votes for it, they vote for it, and we can’t skate under part of a bill. I would support the minimum wage increase. I think it’s long overdue. If we’re going to talk about tax cuts, let’s focus them on the middle class, when the bulk of that tax cut he talks about is focused on the very richest rich.

Source: 2006 MT Senate debate, Tester vs. Burns in Butte Sep 24, 2006

Jon Tester: Minimum wage increase is long overdue

Q: How will you vote on a minimum wage increase?

BURNS: I will probably vote for it, if there’s things in the bill for small business. It all has to be packaged together. We’ve got to make the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 permanent. If we don’t, a young person’s tax bill will go up by 48% in 2011. A family of four, their tax obligation will go up 58%. So I voted for that package, to make it permanent so we won’t face that higher federal obligation, and in that was an increase in minimum wage.

TESTER: One of the good things about the Montana legislature is that we get bills on one topic. If a person votes for it, they vote for it, and we can’t skate under part of a bill. I would support the minimum wage increase. I think it’s long overdue. If we’re going to talk about tax cuts, let’s focus them on the middle class, when the bulk of that tax cut he talks about is focused on the very richest rich.

Source: 2006 MT Senate debate, Tester vs. Burns in Butte Sep 24, 2006

  • The above quotations are from State Senator Jon Tester (D) debates US Senator Conrad Burns (R) in Butte, Sept. 24, 2006.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Jon Tester on Jobs.
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Candidates and political leaders on Jobs:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Feb 19, 2019