Sen. Jeff Klein said at a news conference this afternoon he hasn’t had any discussions with the Senate GOP on the introduction of the minimum-wage bill in the chamber, the companion piece to the measure introduced by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan.

As noted earlier, Klein, the leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, could have more sway as a lawmaker aligned with the Republican conference.

Asked at the news conference on regulatory overhaul why he backs the bill, Klein made a similar argument that Silver made way back in early January:

I think by increasing their salary, I think it says a lot about us as a society. But more important we want to jump start our economy. We need to build consumer confidence. I’ve said this before, that’s why I’ve supported a progressive tax system. If you put more money in workers’ pockets, they’re going to spend more. That’s how we’re going to create more jobs, that’s how we’re going to build consumer confidence.

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