Measure Would Increase Wage To $12 Per Hour Over Four Years
In a party-line vote this week, Washington
State’s Democrat-controlled House voted to increase the state’s minimum wage to
$12 per hour in a series of incremental increases over four years. Under the
bill, the minimum wage would increase to $10 next Jan. 1, $10.50 a year later,
$11 the year after that, and $12 on Jan. 1, 2019.
House
Republicans offered 13 amendments to the bill but most were ruled outside the
scope of the legislation by House Speaker Frank Chopp and didn’t receive a
vote. Others were rejected along party lines.
What This Means For Small Business:
At
$9.47 per hour, Washington already has the nation’s highest minimum wage. Under
current law, the rate goes up every January with inflation. However, bill
sponsor Rep. Jessyn Farrell (D) said that most minimum wage workers in the
state are adults and the current rate is too low to cover the costs of
maintaining a household. She and other Democrats argued that increasing the
minimum wage would help the state’s economy by giving low-wage workers more
money to spend in their communities.
House
Republicans, meanwhile, argued that the increase would impact small business
profits, resulting in higher prices and fewer jobs. They said that the
increased costs could drive businesses out of the state or force them to close
entirely.
The measure now
goes to the state Senate, which is controlled by a coalition of mostly
Republican lawmakers. A companion bill has not received a hearing in this
legislative session. Sen. Linda Evans Parlette (R) said the chamber’s majority
caucus would give the bill a “chilly” reception. Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has voiced
support for the bill.
Additional Reading:
The AP, the Walla
Walla (WA) Union-Bulletin,
the Spokane
(WA) Spokesman-Review,
the Salem (OR)
Capital Press,
and KING-TV all report on the bill.
Read more on how NFIB is working for Small Business in Washington.
