A legislative committee voted 8-5 Friday, along party lines, to support a bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage, in stages, to $9 an hour by 2016.
The Bangor Daily News said the recommendation from the state’s Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee will send the bill, LD 611, to the House for a vote.
The bill raises the current minimum wage of $7.50 by 50 cents annually for three years, reaching $9 in 2016, and then raises it each subsequent year based on the Consumer Price Index.
The paper reports Maine is one of 19 states with a minimum wage above the federal level of $7.25. In New England, only New Hampshire uses that federal minimum wage; Vermont has the highest minimum wage, at $8.60, which is indexed to inflation.