House Passes First Minimum Wage Bill in 10 Years

None by KCPW

State Senator Ed Mayne Calls it "Electioneering at its Greatest"

(KCPW News) Over the weekend, the House passed a bill increasing the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the next three years. But attached to the bill is a rider dropping the estate tax for couples worth over 10 million dollars. Utah AFL-CIO president and state senator Ed Mayne says it's an election-year stunt that's ultimately doomed in the Senate.

Economists at the Center for Economic and Policy Research note the proposed increase amounts to a cost of living adjustment rather than a raise. When adjusted for inflation minimum wage workers will be earning only 17-cents more per hour than were in 1997-the last time the minimum wage was increased.

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