The White House recently announced support for Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative George Miller’s (D-CA) proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour, and index it to future cost of living increases. However, efforts in Congress have stalled and the passage of any legislation is not expected this year.
With pressure on Congress to pass a farm bill with enough money for food stamps and extend unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed before the end of the year, there may not be enough political capital for Democrats to pass minimum wage legislation and there are very few must-pass legislative vehicles remaining this year to carry any provision.
Around the country, however, many states are not waiting to take action and have passed measures to raise the minimum wage. One of these states, California, recently passed a law increasing the state's minimum wage to $9 per hour next year and to $10 per hour by 2016, well above the current federal minimum wage and higher than any other state.
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