Iowa Legislature likely to have minimum wage debate - or two

It’s all but certain the Iowa Legislature will have a minimum wage debate this year. Maybe two.

Republicans, who will control state government when the Legislature convenes Jan. 9 don’t like the “hodgepodge” of minimum wages being set by county boards in Linn, Polk, Wapello and Johnson counties. That means there will be attempts to pre-empt local government from setting their own minimum wage rates.

What’s less clear is whether they also will raise the state’s 10-year-old $7.25-an-hour minimum wage.

Attempts to raise the minimum wage occur almost every year, but the current debate is being driven by those county decisions. In September, the Linn County Board of Supervisors voted to establish an $8.25 per hour minimum wage with annual increases raising it to $10.25 on Jan. 1, 2019. That followed decisions in Polk County to go to $10.75 by 2019, and $10.10 in Johnson this year and in Wapello County by 2019.

Read more: http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-legislature-likely-to-have-minimum-wage-debate-x2014-or-two-20170102