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Bottom Rung: Living On Low Wages In Idaho

The share of Idaho workers earning minimum wage has grown from 5 percent in 2011 to 7.7 percent in 2012. The growth has put Idaho in the top spot for the largest share of minimum wage workers in the country. How did that happen? And what’s being done to reverse the trend?

Washington House Democrats Propose $12 Minimum Wage

NWNews | By Austin Jenkins

Published January 23, 2014 at 5:29 PM MST

File photo of the House Chamber at the Washington state Capitol in Olympia

Washington’s minimum wage would rise to $12 per hour by 2017 under a proposal from Democrats in the state House.

The measure introduced Thursday would phase-in the $2.68 increase over three years.

“A day’s work should produce a living wage," says the bill's prime sponsor, freshman Democrat Jessyn Farrell of Seattle.

"We know that if you work full time at minimum wage in Washington state you are still at the federal poverty level. That means you qualify for food stamps and other assistance.”

Governor Jay Inslee quickly praised the proposal as a “commonsense plan.” Republicans say a minimum wage hike is counterproductive and the focus should be on reducing the cost of doing business in Washington.

The state currently has the highest minimum wage in the country at $9.32 an hour.

Washington House Democrats Propose $12 Minimum Wage

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