Minimum Wage Increase Dead For 2019 Session [View all]

While nearly all lawmakers wanted to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage this year, state House and Senate negotiators threw in the towel Friday afternoon.

The sticking point was “serious concerns,” as Rep. Aaron Johanson said, from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

The agency advised that allowing one rate increase from the current $10.10 an hour to $15 an hour by 2024 — but also allowing an increase to just $13 for employees that are provided health care — could invite legal challenges.

A last-minute proposal from Johanson to his counterpart, Sen. Brian Taniguchi, called for an annual incremental increase to $15 in 2024.

Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/04/minimum-wage-increase-dead-for-2019-session/