Minimum Wage

The Democratic push to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour has emerged as an early flashpoint in the fight for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.

Gov. Chris Sununu continued a string of summertime vetoes Friday, rejecting bills on renewable energy, the state minimum wage, and education.

The record number of vetoes underscores the partisan and policy clashes that have defined the governor's second term, with Democratic majorities in the Legislature repeatedly passing priority bills, only to have Sununu strike them down with his veto pen.

In a busy and socially distanced session, the full New Hampshire Senate returned to Concord Tuesday for the first time since COVID-19 closed the State House in March.

While the subject matter of the legislation at hand may have seemed familiar – environmental policy, a proposed minimum wage increase, and health care bills – the setting and procedure were far from normal.

The minimum wage goes up in half of New England on January 1st.

Massachusetts continues to lead the way, with its minimum wage increasing to $12.75. Maine is not far behind, with a boost to $12.00 an hour.

Gov. Chris Sununu has vetoed a bill that would have re-established and raised New Hampshire's minimum wage, it would have had a detrimental effect on workers.

The state currently relies on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, the lowest in New England. The Legislature's bill would have set it at $10 per hour in 2020 and $12 per hour in 2022.

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Governor Chris Sununu has for days warned of plans to veto the state budget if it includes a rollback of business tax cuts that took effect in January.

But he says more vetoes are coming on other bills prioritized by Democrats, including plans to raise the state minimum wage, tighten gun laws, and loosen or reverse GOP-backed changes to state voting laws.

"Those are just political bills, the ones you just mentioned, and most of those will get vetoed, absolutely. That's just political stuff. I am here to manage the state."

New Hampshire's Senate on Thursday passed a bill to raise the state's minimum wage.

The bill, which passed 14-10, would raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour in 2020 and $11 or $12 an hour in 2021, depending on additional benefits provided by employers, such as paid sick days.  The bill also would set the tipped minimum wage at $4 an hour, with workers making below the new minimum wage with tips being compensated for the difference by their employer.

On a 210-145 vote, Democrats passed a bill on Thursday in the N.H. House that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour.

Democrats began their push this session to raise New Hampshire’s minimum wage during hearings at the Statehouse on Tuesday.

Lawmakers are considering three different bills that would each take a different approach to increasing the state’s rate, which currently stands at $7.25 an hour.

New Hampshire Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes says an increase in the minimum wage is long overdue.

New Hampshire repealed its own state minimum in 2011, and has since used the federal rate of $7.25 per hour. 

Feltes and fellow Democrats in the legislative majority hope to raise the wage.

Raise Up New Hampshire is starting a new initiative to advocate for increased wages, benefits and paid family leave.

The group plans to kick off their Raise the Wage! campaign Monday afternoon at the State House.

There, community members will share their experiences earning a minimum wage in the state.

Rev. John Gregory-Davis is one of the campaign's leaders. He says this is an issue candidates need to pay attention to in this election.

The Republican-controlled Senate Thursday yet again killed a bill along party lines to create a state minimum wage in New Hampshire.

Minimum wage workers in Maine are going to get a raise.

According to Maine Public Broadcasting, voters, by a solid margin, supported the ballot measure that will boost the current $7.50 an hour minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020.

It will also increase tipped workers’ base wages, which some in the restaurant industry say will increase costs and change the culture of hospitality.

Lawmakers’ most recent attempt at establishing a state minimum wage this legislation session failed in the House Thursday morning. The measure, which was rejected by a vote of 185 to 143, would have increased the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2019.

Currently New Hampshire’s minimum wage is set at the federal rate of $7.25 an hour, making it the lowest minimum wage in all of New England.

This legislative session there are two bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, seeking to establish a state minimum wage, something New Hampshire nixed in 2011.

Currently New Hampshire’s minimum wage is set at the federal rate of $7.25 an hour. The Senate bill, which had a public hearing on Tuesday, wants to up that to $12. This nearly five dollar jump was something many in the business community were opposed to. 

A proposal to increase New Hampshire’s minimum wage to $9.50 by 2019 goes before a House committee Tuesday.

The bill would re-establish a state a minimum wage, setting it at $8.25 next year.

New Hampshire lawmakers repealed the state’s minimum wage in 2011, and the state has since deferred to the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

That’s the lowest minimum wage in New England.

Both the New Hampshire House and Senate have killed bills Thursday that would have established a higher state minimum wage.

The House’s measure, which was rejected in a 198 to 145 vote, would have raised the minimum wage to $9.10 by next year -- tacking on nearly $7 by 2018.

Meanwhile in a 14-10 vote the Senate rejected to increase the hourly rate by $8.25  by next January – reaching $10 by 2018.

The federal minimum wage of $7.25 will remain in place. Currently 29 other states have higher minimum wages.