Minimum wage bill dies in Hawaii Legislature

Minimum wage bill dies in Hawaii Legislature

Minimum wage bill dies in Hawaii Legislature

By ANITA HOFSCHNEIDER

Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — With minutes left before the deadline, Hawaii lawmakers killed a bill that would have raised the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.

Both Democrat-controlled chambers passed measures earlier this session to increase the wage. Many said the increase would help Hawaii families manage the high cost of living in the islands.

But lawmakers disagreed about several aspects of the measure, including the tip credit employers should receive, how fast the wage should rise and to what level.

Members of Hawaii’s business community have also been pressuring legislators to kill the bill. They say the proposal would raise the already high cost of doing business in Hawaii.

The bill’s death comes as President Barack Obama pushes for an increase in the federal minimum wage.