The Senate Workforce and General Government Committee will vote today on Sen. Michael Dembrow’s proposed minimum wage hikes. The increase would put Portland metro up to $14.75, rural and coastal areas at $12.50, and rest of the state at $13.50 by 2022, according to Capital Press.
Leaders in the House and Senate have made minimum wage a priority for the 35-day legislative session, which started Feb. 1. They’re hoping that legislative action will stave off ballot initiatives that would raise the minimum to $15 or $13.50 in a three-year period and lift a ban on cities setting higher wages.
…Dembrow’s wage plan is based on data from Portland State University and the University of Washington that shows what income is required to be self-sufficient in different counties in Oregon.
(READ MORE: Capital Press)
Gov. Kate Brown’s proposal to increase minimum wage $14.50 in the Portland metro area and to $13.25 in the rest of the state by 2022 was dismissed after “lawmakers heard outcry from constituents in Eastern Oregon that the governor’s minimums were too high for that region of the state,” according to Capital Press.
