Sunday, June 15, 2008

House Panel Approves Minimum Wage Increase in Delaware

Delaware's minimum wage could be pushed to the highest in the nation by 2010. The House Labor Committee approved a new minimum wage bill on June 11, 2008. The measure now moves to the House floor.

The bill’s sponsor, Democratic state Senator Bobby Marshall, says Senate Bill 204 would increase Delaware’s minimum wage from $7.15 per hour to $7.75 per hour effective March 1, 2009, and to $8.25 one year later.

The federal minimum wage will be increased in July from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour and again in July 2009 to $7.25 per hour. If the DE bill passes, it would continue Delaware's tradition of requiring a higher wage than the federal minimum. The bill’s opponents contend that the minimum wage increase in the state of Delaware would put a burden on small business owners and could discourage entry-level hiring.

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