The Governor announced his support for raising the minimum wage from its current $7.25 to $10.10 with automatic increases to keep rate with inflation at a rally in Annapolis.  A change in the minimum wage could negatively affect county budgets by increasing wages for part-time, contractual, and some salaried employees and by increasing the cost of procured contract services.  In addition, two Maryland counties recently passed local laws to raise the minimum wage in their jurisdictions.  MACo is monitoring state legislative action for its impact on county budgets and local laws.

The Washington Post reported that the Lieutenant Governor and Governor’s plan will raise the minimum wage and the required wage for tipped workers.  As described,

Besides raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10, the legislation would also increase the requirement for tipped workers to 70 percent of the hourly minimum.

Leaders in the General Assembly have pointed out additional details that need to be addressed, including the treatment of counties who have already raised the minimum wage.  As reported in The Post,

Legislative leaders say there are still details to be worked out, including whether to allow individual jurisdictions to have a higher minimum wage than the state. Both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties recently passed plans to raise the minimum wage to $11.50 an hour by 2017.

For more information, see the full story from The Washington Post.