The New Hampshire House today voted 197 to 157 to raise the minimum wage by one dollar over the next two years.
New Hampshire Public Radio's David Darman has more.
Proponents of raising the minimum wage painted a picture of low paid workers who can't make ends meet.
Representative Randolph Holden, a Republican from Goffstown, argued it was time to give those workers a lift.
this is not a partisan issue. this is a fairness issue. teddy roosevelt, a republican, said, it is better for government to help a poor man to make a living for his family than to help a rich man make profit from his business.
Anyone making minimum wage earns less than $11,000 a year, an amount far lower than the federal poverty line.
Others argued that raising the minimum wage would save the state money, since these workers would need fewer social services.
This bill would raise the minimum 50 cents in September, and 50 cents more a year later.
Representative Marjorie Smith, a Democrat from Durham, used the findings of a UNH study to show who could be helped.
about two thirds of workers who would benefit are women. nearly half of those who would benefit are working parents with children. over ten percent of all full time workers 65 or older would benefit.
But opponents had their reasons for voting against the bill.
Opponents said only entry level workers earn very low wages.
And they said these workers typically get a raise after their first year on the job.
And Representative Jarvis Adams IV, a Republican of Greenfield, argued keeping the minimum low creates jobs.
new hampshire has the lowest long term unemployment rate of all the five new england states. we have the lowest population of people on welfare. we have the highest median income....and we have the lowest level of population below the poverty level.
The final vote on the House floor pleased the state's labor activists.
They have tried for several years to get the minimum raised.
Mark MacKenzie is president of New Hampshire's AFL-CIO.
i applaud all the state representative who stepped up to the plate today and did the right thing. and the right thing is to recognize that there are a lot of people who are working at the minimum wage in this state. that they need the increase. this helps not only helps the individuals but helps the communities and helps the economy in new hampshire.
Hotels and restaurants lobbied the hardest against the minimum wage hike.
Henry Vielleux represents the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association.
we think its going to hurt those entry level kinds of jobs. it may reduce the number of hours for those types of positions, or the number of positions for entry level workers. so, we were dissapointed with the vote but we're going to take our message to the senate.
The measure next heads to the state Senate.
Senate leaders say they're not sure yet how the measure will fare in their chamber.
