Topeka ? Legislators sent Gov. Kathleen Sebelius a bill Friday that raises the state’s lowest-in-the-nation minimum wage and ends a two-decade debate on the issue.

The Democratic governor is expected to sign it.

It could be among the final bills for Sebelius to consider if she is confirmed as President Barack Obama’s health and human services secretary.

The Senate vote was 33-5. The House approved it earlier in the day 110-15 with no debate.

Sens. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, and Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, all voted for the bill. A House roll call was not available Friday night.

Democrats and their allies have pushed for the increase, arguing the state’s minimum wage of $2.65 is an embarrassment because it’s been the same since 1988.

The measure raises the wage to $7.25 an hour in January, matching what the federal minimum will be starting July 24. The federal minimum wage started in 1938 at 25 cents and is now $6.55.

“This is one of the best accomplishments of the session,” said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat.

Hensley said his only complaint was removing a section allowing the secretary of labor to increase the state minimum to keep pace with the federal level. The bill leaves future increases to legislators.

“It will still be a political football in the future,” he said. “It would have been better to take it out of the political process.”

Many Republicans supported the bill this year, removing the minimum wage as an issue that Democrats can use against them. They acknowledged increasing the minimum wage has popular appeal, especially with unions and anti-poverty groups.

Opponents argue the whole issue largely is symbolic since most workers are covered by the federal law. They say the state law applies only to companies that have less than $500,000 a year in annual revenue and don’t engage in interstate commerce, including credit cards.

Groups such as the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business argue that increasing the wage only raises employers’ costs, causing them to cut low-wage, entry-level jobs.

Seat belt law

House members rejected a proposal Friday that would have strengthened Kansas’ seat belt law.

The measure would allow law enforcement officers to stop a vehicle if front-seat passengers aren’t wearing seat belts.

On a 65-55 vote, the bill remained with House and Senate negotiators, who are trying to work out a compromise between the two chambers. Some House members simply wanted to accept the Senate’s version of the bill, but others oppose changing the seat belt law.

The issue could return when legislators come back in late April after their annual spring break.

It’s a traffic infraction in Kansas now for a person not to buckle up. But officers can’t stop a vehicle unless they have another reason.

The Senate version of the bill would require all passengers to wear a seat belt. However, officers couldn’t issue a citation to passengers in the back seat for not wearing safety belts, unless another citation were being issued.

The penalty would be a $60 fine.