Happy Election Year! Senate passes bill to raise minimum wage

[UrbScotty]

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4610561

The state Senate unanimously approved legislation Thursday that would boost the state's minimum wage to $6.95 in October, a $1.80 increase. The minimum would rise to $7.40 an hour by July 2008.

So why the flip-flop on the part of Senate Repubs? It's all about the ballot initiative, and the fact that they're vulnerable in the upcoming election cycle.

"It's a factor in the decision making - there's no question about it," Sikkema said of the petition drive.

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The bill now goes to the GOP-controlled House, which could vote on it early next week. A spokesman said Republican House Speaker Craig DeRoche of Novi doesn't support raising the minimum wage but favors the legislation over the petition drive. The House likely will vote for the bill as a way to pre-empt the ballot measure, Matt Resch said.

So is the ballot issue dead? NO. We must keep collecting signatures to put this in the state Constitution.

But they also noted the bill wouldn't put the wage language in the state constitution, meaning increases could be repealed in the future. If voters approved raising the minimum wage in the state constitution, it would take another statewide vote to repeal the increase.