AUGUSTA (AP) — Lawmakers are rejecting the latest effort to roll back Maine’s minimum wage law.
The Maine House voted 81-69 to reject a bill Thursday to reduce annual increases in Maine’s minimum wage. The bill now heads to the Senate.
The bill would have capped the increase at $11 per hour instead of $12 by 2021. Starting in 2021, the state’s minimum wage is set to increase in pace with the cost-of-living.
Several Democrats and Republicans say the wage hike is raising incomes for Mainers often working multiple jobs in a state that’s seen slugging income growth since the recession.
Republican Rep. Jeff Timberlake says the wage hike is a burden for small businesses unable to keep on employees or hire new ones.
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