(KS) Legislators say Lawrence's living wage could hurt state

[atommom]

Topeka — Lawrence's "living wage" movement should be stopped before it spreads to the rest of the state, a Kansas legislator said Tuesday.

"This is a movement I suggest we ought to pre-empt in Kansas," said Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, sponsor of a bill to outlaw living wage ordinances -- including one already on the books in Lawrence.

Yoder said living wage ordinances could hurt economic development by driving businesses out of state.

But under questioning during a House committee hearing, living wage opponents conceded they had no information the Lawrence ordinance was causing any problems.

http://www.ljworld.com/section/legislature/story/196399

The ordinance in question requires any business receiving city tax abatements to pay 130% of the poverty rate for a family of three ... about $9.53 an hour. Only one business in town is currently subject to that requirement.

What do you think of this? The ordinance doesn't seem at all unreasonable to me.

[NewJeffCT]

1. Reasonable?

How dare you think anything above 0.00 is the correct minimum wage. The millionaires at the top need every penny they can squeeze out of the regular folks to lobby for their trickle down tax breaks.

[NewJeffCT]

3. In all seriousness...

Connecticut has the highest minimum wage in the country (or it did last year...) and an unemployment rate lower than the national average.

[atommom]

4. And Kansas has the lowest! Do they think THAT'S not hurting us?

[tanyev]

2. They are apparently unconcerned about

the hurt that the absence of a living wage will cause to the people who live in the state.