In her State of the State address today, Governor Maggie Hassan called on state lawmakers to restore and increase New Hampshire’s minimum wage.
The state Legislature in 2011 eliminated the state minimum wage and defaulted to the federal wage of $7.25 an hour.
Senator Lou D’Allesandro, a Manchester Democrat, agrees the minimum wage should be raised, but knows the debate will be a long and difficult one.
“But it is realistic when you look at the fact of what the minimum wage is, what it gets you in terms of dollar value, and the individuals that are involved. We’re going down with median family income in parts of this state.”
Lawmakers rejected a measure last year to restore the state minimum wage.
While Hassan did not list a specific amount, she praised a lawmaker who’s filed a bill to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.25.
