SB 149 was 'ill-conceived, harmful, and unnecessary'
The state Senate voted has rejected a measure that would have created a state minimum wage higher than the federal wage. SB 149 failed on May 30 by a vote of 13-25.
NFIB State Director Dawn McVea called the bill “ill-conceived, harmful, and unnecessary.”
The legislation was strongly supported by Gov. John Bel Edwards, but McVea said a mandatory wage increase would have ended up hurting the people supporters said they were trying to help.
“Small business owners already are paying well above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour to attract and keep the best candidates,” McVea said. “Creating a state minimum wage of $10 an hour would put pressure on employers to pay hourly workers even more.” If the state had approved an increase in the minimum wage, employers would have been forced to make tough choices in order to balance higher wages with rising costs, she said.
“In practical terms, that means they probably would have ended up eliminating positions or cutting hours,” McVea said.
