The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Maryland’s leading small business advocacy organization, issued the below statement from NFIB Maryland State Director Mike O’Halloran following the announcement of legislation to raise the minimum wage to $20 through a ballot measure:

“The negative effect of a $20 minimum wage on Maryland small businesses cannot be overstated. Our state ranks 50th for labor costs – meaning it costs more to employ someone in Maryland than anywhere else in the country. This idea could not come at a worse time, especially when the legislature already has a proposal from the Governor that would likely increase taxes on our job creators. We can’t continue to price ourselves out of market with proposals like these.”