Missouri Takes Steps to Increase Minimum Wage

Proposed initiative petitions would bump up Missouri minimum wage.

June 05, 2015

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri has taken center stage in the national debate over raising the minimum wage. Earlier this spring, the state’s legislature passed a bill to preempt localities from passing their own minimum wage mandates. That bill is currently on Governor Jay Nixon’s desk, although he is expected to veto it.

At the same time, municipalities in the state are moving forward with wage increases to beat any new preemption law in the event that the governor actually signs the bill. Two weeks ago, the city council in Kansas City held a hearing regarding a proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour. While some type of wage increase is likely to pass, the business community provided strong opposition that will likely slow the process. Meanwhile, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has publicly announced his support for a $15/hour minimum wage in that city.

This week, the Secretary of State for Missouri announced that three different minimum wage ballot initiatives had been "approved for circulation" which means that proponents can begin gathering the number of signatures needed to get it on the 2016 ballot. The petitions need to be signed by at least 5% of legal voters in six of the state’s eight congressional districts to make it onto a ballot. All three petitions propose increasing the state’s minimum wage – currently $7.65 – which is adjusted to changes in cost of living. The petitions propose increasing that to $9 per hour, in varying increments: One would increase the wage $1 per year until 2023, when it reaches $15 an hour. The other two would increase the minimum wage $1 a year until it reaches $11 or $12.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement