- Maine Senate approves hike in minimum wage, By Steve Mistler, April 3, 2013, Kennebec Journal: “A bill that would raise Maine’s minimum wage to $9 an hour by 2016 and link it to inflation thereafter drew one step closer to passage Thursday with a party-line vote in the Senate. With Democratic support, the Senate approved the bill 19-16 after a fresh round of debate reflecting competing economic and political ideologies. Democrats contended that raising the minimum wage from the current $7.50 would help the working poor, while Republicans argued that it would hurt the businesses that hire young and unskilled workers…”
- Maine Senate passes bill that would raise minimum wage to $9 an hour by 2016, By Robert Long, April 2, 2013, Bangor Daily News: “The Maine Senate on Tuesday voted 19-16 along party lines in favor of a bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $9 an hour by 2016 and index future minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index. Democrats unanimously supported the bill. All Republicans opposed it. Independent Richard Woodbury of Yarmouth also voted against the measure. Tuesday’s vote in the Senate follows last week’s 86-58 House vote to pass the bill. All but one House Democrat, Rep. Alan Casavant of Biddeford, voted for the minimum wage increase. All House Republicans opposed it…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty