{"id":297990,"date":"2017-02-28T10:01:42","date_gmt":"2017-02-28T17:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=297990"},"modified":"2017-02-28T10:01:42","modified_gmt":"2017-02-28T17:01:42","slug":"senate-committee-oks-compromise-minimum-wage-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/02\/senate-committee-oks-compromise-minimum-wage-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate committee OKs compromise minimum wage bill"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p>

A statue outside the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.<\/p><\/div>\n

A proposal to raise the hourly minimum wage in New Mexico to $9 won the backing Monday of a Senate committee as well as business and labor groups.<\/p>\n

But with several bills floating around the Capitol this year to give at least a slight boost to the earnings of New Mexico’s lowest-paid workers, agreement still seems elusive on how high the state’s minimum wage should go and what strings should be attached.<\/p>\n

In a 5-3 vote, the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee approved Senate Bill 386<\/a>, which would raise the hourly minimum wage from $7.50 to $9 but allow employers to pay new hires a training wage of $8 per hour for up to two months. The bill would also raise the minimum wage for tipped employees, such as waitresses and baristas, from $2.13 to $2.63.<\/p>\n