Guv gets local minimum wage ban

The Senate has voted 27-8 in favor of banning local ballot measures or local ordinances raising the minimum wage; HB 463 had previously passed the House, so it now goes to Gov. Butch Otter. Sen. Steve Vick, Dalton Gardens, said he has worked as a building contractor for three decades. “Where I live, we have lots of local jurisdictions, and if I was paying somebody less than a local minimum wage, I could be in trouble,” he told the Senate. “That causes me concern as a business owner, and I think would concern other business owners. … Quite often it’s done by initiative. The initiative maybe doesn’t take into account the impact on the businesses”/ Betsy Russell , Eye on Boise. More here.

Question: A minimum wage in this state of $7.25 is ridiculous. I’m not sure how high it should go. But I suspect Idaho won’t pass an increase until the federal government does. It’s nice to see that the Idaho Legislature, which hates to be told what to do by the feds, thinks it knows what to do better than local governments re: this issue. Thoughts?