Close up image of a caretaker helping older woman walk

Providers and business lobbyists are watching the Senate closely this week as it plans to vote on a bill that would raise the federal minimum hourly wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over two years.

Senators will vote on a final proposal that includes tax hikes and a federal contracting ban for businesses that violate immigration laws. The immigration provision, offered by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) stipulates that employers who are caught hiring illegal workers while on a federal contract would be banned from government work for 10 years. Other companies discovered with illegal workers would be barred from entering into federal contracts for seven years.

Earlier this month, the House voted to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years. A compromise of the House and Senate versions of minimum wage legislation would need to be negotiated and reconciled before becoming law.