Final vote before Minnesota min. wage hike

ST. PAUL — Minnesota lawmakers are prepared for the final vote on a bill significantly boosting the minimum wage.

House approval Thursday would send the bill to Gov. Mark Dayton, who supports the plan to raise the wage to $9.50 by 2016.

The bill cleared the Senate a day earlier. It would increase the raise in three steps: It would climb to $8 per hour this summer, $8.50 next year and $9.50 the year after. In future years, the rate could rise by 2.5 percent through an inflationary mechanism.

Minnesota has one of the country’s lowest minimum wages now at $6.15 per hour. The bill would shoot Minnesota into the top five, although other states are considering pushing their minimum wages up as well.