Idaho Lawmaker Pushes for Minimum Wage Hike

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Democratic lawmaker will ask her fellow legislators to sign off on a plan to raise Idaho's minimum wage. But majority Republicans have largely rejected efforts to hike the minimum wage, even as neighboring states' pay goes up. Idaho's wage is currently aligned with the federal minimum of $7.25, and hasn't gone up since 2009. The state currently has the highest number of workers earning the minimum wage in the U.S. Sen. Michelle Stennett's proposal comes alongside a proposed voter initiative that seeks to raise pay to $9.80. The proposal will be introduced Monday morning in the Senate State Affairs Committee. That's when lawmakers will decide whether to send it forward to a full hearing. Washington, Idaho's neighbor to the west has the nation's highest wage at $9.32.