By Richard Cowan and Makini Brice WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A sharply divided U.S. Senate on Friday accelerated its march to passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, launching what was expected to be a long debate over amendments on how the money would be spent. Voting began on whether to allow an amendment for a federal minimum wage increase offered by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent aligned with Democrats, despite a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian that it cannot be considered under special rules governing the massive emergency spending bill. Sanders’ bid …