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Republicans introduce anti-minimum wage bill, torpedo Democratic proposal to help low-wage workers

BOISE, Idaho – Republican members of the House State Affairs committee on Tuesday refused to consider a bill that would have increased the minimum wage from the current paltry $5.15 per hour to $7.25.  Instead, the Republican majority is moving forward with a deceitful bill that anchors Idaho 's lowest paid workers to whatever wage celler is set by Congress.

“The Republican bill guarantees that Idaho workers will always be the worst paid in the country,” said Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, sponsor of Democratic legislation that would have helped the lowest-paid workers feed their families. “Idaho workers have been stuck at $5.15 for the past ten years, yet a dollar today buys less than three-fourths of what it did in 1997. It is wrong to continually surpress the wages of  these workers.”

The Republican legislation, sponsored by all members of the House majority leadership, says that Idaho 's minimum wage will "conform to, and track with, the federal minimum wage" starting on July 1.

    " Idaho already has to obey federal law, and they know it,” said Rep. Anne Pasley-Stuart, co-sponsor of the Democratic legislation. “I cannot understand why the Republican leadership wants to take such a strong stand against hard-working Idaho families who only want a fair wage.”

            State Affairs Committee member Rep. Ken Andrus of Pocatello was first among his fellow Republicans to abort the Democratic legislation. Andrus made the motion to kill the Democrats' bill before the public could comment or compare the two bills. 

            “Pocatello and southeastern Idaho have a lot of working families who would benefit from our legislation,” said House Democratic Leader Wendy Jaquet . “Rep. Andrus has helped to ensure that these family's wages will always be the lowest in the nation.” 

BOISE, Idaho – Republican members of the House State Affairs committee on Tuesday refused to consider a bill that would have increased the minimum wage from the current paltry $5.15 per hour to $7.25.  Instead, the Republican majority is moving forward with a deceitful bill that anchors Idaho’s lowest paid workers to whatever wage cellar is set by Congress.

“The Republican bill guarantees that Idaho workers will always be the worst paid in the country,” said Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, sponsor of Democratic legislation that would have helped the lowest-paid workers feed their families. “Idaho workers have been stuck at $5.15 for the past ten years, yet a dollar today buys less than three-fourths of what it did in 1997. It is wrong to continually suppress the wages of  these workers.”

The Republican legislation, sponsored by all members of the House majority leadership, says that Idaho’s minimum wage will "conform to, and track with, the federal minimum wage" starting on July 1.

            “Idaho already has to obey federal law, and they know it,” said Rep. Anne Pasley-Stuart, co-sponsor of the Democratic legislation. “I cannot understand why the Republican leadership wants to take such a strong stand against hard-working Idaho families who only want a fair wage.”

            State Affairs Committee member Rep. Ken Andrus of Pocatello was first among his fellow Republicans to abort the Democratic legislation. Andrus made the motion to kill the Democrats' bill before the public could comment or compare the two bills. 

            “Pocatello and southeastern Idaho have a lot of working families who would benefit from our legislation,” said House Democratic Leader Wendy Jaquet . “Rep. Andrus has helped to ensure that these family's wages will always be the lowest in the nation.”