Minimum Wage Hike Fails

Two Senate plans to raise the minimum wage have been shot down.

Sen Ted Kennedy (D-MA) would have raised the minimum wage by $1.10 to $6.25 over a year and a half. That plan died 51-47.

Republicans proposed the same raise -- with tax breaks and exceptions for small businesses. That plan died 57-42.

The minimum wage has stayed at $5.15 an hour since 1997.

Since then, Congress has allowed automatic pay increases of $24,500 for each of its members.

A single parent with two children earning the minimum wage earns $10,700 a year. That's $4,500 below the poverty line. (AP)