Lisa Law View

Now the minimum wage of the state Delaware is $7.15 per hour.
The Minimum wage law is updated yearly and if the minimum wage in Delaware ever falls below the federal minimum then it is automatically replaced by the federal rate until the state minimum wage rises above the federal minimum.

On January 1, 2007, the first step of the increase went into effect, raising the minimum wage from $6.15 to $6.65 her hour. On January 1, 2008 the minimum wage increased again from $.6.65 per hour to $7.15 per hour.

The Delaware minimum wage applies to businesses with over 10 employees, but there are exceptions to the minimum wage rules. Businesses and organizations that are exempt include disabled workers, student learners, tipped employees, agricultural workers, domestic service providers, commissioned sales people, white collar executives and professionals, state inmates and volunteer workers. “Tipped” employees can be paid a minimum wage of $2.33 per hour. But if their total earnings are less than $7.15 an hour, their employers must make up the difference.

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Missouri's minimum wage has increased by 15 cents from $6.50 to a new rate of $6.65 per hour on January 1, 2008.

The minimum wage for tipped employees has also increased – from $3.25 per hour to $3.325 per hour. Employers must pay tipped employees at least 50 percent of the minimum wage.

Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations must do study using the Consumer Price Index, and then determine the increases or decreases of the minimum wage for the coming year.

That initiative hiked the basic wage from $5.15 to $6.50 per hour in 2007 and the 2008 increase in the minimum wage was based on a 2.2 percent change in the Consumer Price Index between July 2006 and July 2007.The minimum wage law does not apply to retail or service businesses with annual sales of less than $500,000. All other businesses need to pay employees the minimum wage.

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On July 1, 2008, 70 cents (the difference between the old and new federal minimum wage) will be added to both Nevada minimum wages. This will cause the lower Nevada wage to rise to $6.00 (with a plan) and $7.03 (without a plan).

On July 1, 2009, the minimum wage in the state of Nevada will increase again, to $6.70 (with plan) and $7.73 (without plan).

Nevada’s minimum wages will continue to increase annually. Any adjustment to the state minimum wages will take effect on July 1 of that year.

Minimum wage of Nevada, along with that of Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, and Ohio will be adjusted by inflation annually, and in Nevada, the minimum must also remain at least $1 above the federal rate.

Nevada is also one of the seven states (along with Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon and Washington) that require employers to pay tip workers the same minimum wage as other workers.

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The minimum wage in New Hampshire will increase to $7.25 per hour on September 1, 2008.

On September 1, 2007, the minimum wage in the state of New Hampshire increased form the original $5.85 per hour to $6.50 per hour after a decade without a raise. But that was only the first step of the minimum wage increase plan in that state according to the law signed by the New Hampshire’s Governor John Lynch on May 3, which marked the first New Hampshire minimum wage increase since 1997. The other step is to increase the minimum wage for many of the state's hourly workers from $6.50 per hour to $7.25 per hour on September 1,2008. The minimum wage is automatically replaced with the Federal minimum wage rate if it is higher than the State minimum wage rate.

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The Ohio Department of Commerce had calculated the inflation adjusted Ohio minimum wage for 2008. Beginning on January 1, 2008, the Ohio’s minimum wage for non-tipped employees increased from $6.85 by 2 percent, which equals to 15 cents, to $7 per hour and from $3.43 per hour to $3.50 per hour for tipped employees.

The constitutional amendment passed by voters in November 2006 states that Ohio’s minimum wage shall increase on January 1 of each year by the rate of inflation. The increase is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers for the prior 12-month period as of September 30.

The increased minimum wage will apply to employers who gross more than $255,000 per year. Currently, Ohio’s minimum wage applies to employers who gross over $250,000 per year.

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On January 1, 2008 the New Mexico state minimum wage has increased by 65 cents from $5.85 per hour to $6.50 per hour, which will increase again to $7.50 an hour on January 1, 2009. This is the second increase of minimum wage within 6 months in New Mexico. On July 24, 2007, the state minimum wage increased with the federal rate, from $5.15 per hour to $5.85 per hour. Thus, the total increase in New Mexico will reach $1.35 per hour, which is the largest in any state in 2008.

However, the increase of minimum wage does not apply to agricultural employees and tipped employees. Although the federal rate for tipped employees is $2.13 per hour and that in other states is somewhere from $2.23 to $8.07 per hour, the minimum wage for tipped employees in New Mexico remains one of the lowest rates in the nation, that is just $2.125 per hour.

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The minimum wage in Vermont has increased to $7.68 per hour from $7.53 per hour on January 1, 2008. The Vermont minimum wage law is set to increase every year at the same rate as the August Consumer Price Index (CPI)。

On January 1, 2008 the state minimum wage for tipped employees (who are working in the hotel, motel, tourist place and restaurant industry and can receive tips) has also increased, from $3.65 to $3.72 per hour – an increase of 7 cents. But if the tipped employees’ total earnings is less than $7.68 an hour, their employers must make up the difference between $3.72 per hour and $7.68 per hour in the tips they get from their customers.

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Washington’s hourly minimum wage has increased from $7.93 to $8.07, effective January 1st, 2008. According to the law, the state minimum wage must be adjusted each year complying with the change in the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) during the 12 months ending each August 31.

The CPI-W is a national index covering the cost of goods and services needed for day-to-day living. This year, it increased 1.8 percent in the period and led to a 14-cent increase in next year's minimum wage, which equals to an increase from current $7.93 per hour to $8.07 per hour.

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N.H. Senate voted Thursday to raise New Hampshire's minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour in the next two years.

The bill passed 19-5 in the senate and has sent to Gov. John Lynch for his signature.

The bill would increase the current minimum wage $5.15 per hour to $6.50 this September and to $7.25 next year.

The current minimum wage in New Hampshire is as the same as the federal rate. The increase will be the first time of last 10 years.

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General Assembly sent a bill that ties Indiana's minimum wage to the federal minimum wage increase to Governor Mitch Daniels.

The Indiana House voted 75-22 Tuesday to approve Senate amendments to the bill.

The bill would likely to increase Indiana's state minimum wage from the current $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the next two years.

The U.S. House already has voted to boost the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

The minimum wage in Indiana has not increased for a decade.

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New Mexico Governor Richardson signed a bill to increase the minimum wage to $7.50 per hour in the next three years.

The new law will increases the current $5.15 an hour to $6.50 in January 2008 and $7.50 in January 2009.

The increase will not affect higher minimum wage areas, such as Santa Fe and the Albuquerque area.

The increase does not apply to all workers. The bill has exceptions for the agricultural and dairy industries.

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Governor Ernie Fletcher signed bill to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour in the next two years.

The hike will take 3 steps, first increase to $5.85 per hour from July 1, 2007 and then up to $6.55 per hour beginning July 1, 2008 and $7.25 per hour beginning July 1, 2009.

This increase will benefit more than 100,000 workers in Kentucky.

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Governor Mike Rounds signed a bill that will increase South Dakota minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. The law will take effect as soon as President Bush signs a corresponding federal bill.

The increase will take three steps. The bill will increase minimum wage to $5.85 when federal minimum wage is raised or July 1 arrives, whichever is later.

The minimum wage will rise to $6.55 a year later, and the third increase would become effective two years after the first increase.

The minimum wage in South Dakota has not increased for ten years.

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The New Mexico Senate voted 22-20 votes last Friday to increase the state's minimum wage to $7.50 an hour by the year 2009. Now the bill is going to Governor Richardson for his signature.

The governor has showed his support of minimum wage hike.

The bill will increase minimum wage from the current $5.15 an hour to $6.50 an hour on Jan. 1, 2008 and to $7.50 on Jan. 1, 2009.

The increase will not affect higher minimum wage areas, such as Santa Fe and the Albuquerque area.

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The Kentucky House of Representatives approved a bill to raise the state's minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over the next two years.

The bill was passed 89-10 and then sent to the Senate consideration.

Under the bill, the state minimum wage will rise to $5.85 per hour this year, followed by an increase to $6.55 per hour beginning July 1, 2008 and $7.25 per hour in 2009.

Kentucky's minimum wage hasn't increased for 10 years.

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