By John Wagner
Washington Post, March 6, 2014
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) said Thursday that he is disappointed that the House of Delegates dropped a provision from his minimum-wage bill that called for automatic increases based on inflation and said he will lobby the Senate to restore it. O’Malley’s bill, which faces a final vote in the House on Friday, would gradually raise Maryland’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 by 2017. The provision struck by the House would have made additional increases automatic after that. ...
His comments came during a broader roundtable discussion with business leaders who support increasing the state’s minimum wage. O’Malley convened the group at a printing company in Upper Marlboro as a means to promote his plan, on which the Senate will weigh in the remaining month of the 90-day legislative session. ...
Under the bill poised for approval in the House, Maryland counties would still be allowed to adopt higher minimum wages than the state. Montgomery and Prince George’s counties passed local legislation late last year requiring workers there to be paid $11.50 an hour by 2017.
Twenty-one states and the District have minimum wages higher than Maryland, which has been using the federal standard.
During Thursday’s event, O’Malley argued that raising Maryland’s minimum wage would not only help low-wage workers, but also provide a boost for the economy by giving working families more money to spend.
Copyright 2014 Washington Post