Bill cosponsored by a majority of members of the House of
Delegates
Annapolis,
MD (January 15, 2014)--Delegate Aisha N. Braveboy has introduced legislation to
raise the Maryland minimum wage to $10.10 by 2016. H.B. 187 will increase the current minimum
wage from $7.25 to $8.20 on July 1, 2014, to $9.15 on July 1, 2015 and then to $10.10 on July 1, 2016. After 2016, the bill requires the minimum
wage rate to be adjusted each year to account for inflation. The legislation also increases the requirement for tipped workers to 70 percent of the hourly minimum. H.B. 187 enjoys broad support in the Maryland
legislature with 72 cosponsors in the House of Delegates including four of six
committee chairpersons and the Majority Whip.
“I am
honored and excited that the majority of members of the House of Delegates have
signed on to my bill to increase the minimum wage,” said Delegate
Braveboy. “Maryland has one of the
highest costs of living in the country yet maintains the federal minimum wage
of $7.25 per hour. We can and should do better than the bare minimum.”
This
is the third consecutive year that Delegate Braveboy has been the chief sponsor
of legislation to raise the minimum wage in the Maryland House of Delegates. Raising the minimum wage has been a top
priority for Delegate Braveboy because she believes it rewards work and can help lift
thousands of Maryland families out of poverty.
“Increasing the minimum wage is a great form of economic stimulus
because minimum wage workers spend the majority of their income on food,
housing and other basic necessities, which in turn stimulates the local
economy,” said Delegate Braveboy.
Maryland
has maintained the federal minimum wage of $7.25 since 2006 even though inflation
and cost of living increases have reduced its purchasing power. “Work should be rewarded,” said Delegate
Braveboy, “we should do all that we can to help people who are willing to work
full-time climb the ladder of economic prosperity.”
