By Nicholas Sohr
Daily Record, Eye on Annapolis, March 29, 2011 

Four dozen business owners and executives signed on to a petition Tuesday urging the passage of legislation in Annapolis that would bump the state’s minimum wage to $9.75 an hour in 2013.

The statement read, in part: “With less buying power than it had in the 1950s and 60s, today’s minimum wage means poverty for working families and undermines our economy. A higher minimum wage makes good sense for our Maryland economy. It puts money in the hands of the people who will put...

Strong Wage Floor Vital for Maryland's Economy, Small Biz Owners Say

MARYLAND - Today nearly 60 Maryland business organizations, owners and executives endorsed legislation to raise the state's inadequate minimum wage to $9.75 per hour by 2013. Representing small businesses in the restaurant industry, retail, manufacturing, construction, auto repair, cleantech, healthcare, finance and more, the coalition stressed that a strong minimum wage should be a state priority because it will boost the consumer demand vital for job creation and promote a strong economy for Maryland's future.

http://www.citybizlist.com/1/2011/3/29/Nealy-60-Maryland-Business-Owner…

By Mimi Nguyen
KOMU News TV8 (NBC), Mar 29, 2011

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JEFFERSON CITY- A Senate committee met Tuesday to discuss House Bill 61 and listen to testimony from proponents and opponents of the bill.

A new law would amend the 2006 voter-approved law that allows the minimum wage of Missouri to be adjusted according to the annual cost of living and inflation. The new law would prohibit Missouri's minimum wage from exceeding the federal minimum wage.

Missouri's current minimum wage is $7.25, the same as the federal rate.

Supporters of the bill say it...

By John Shepley
Carroll County Times, 3/22/11. Distributed by the American Forum.

As a small business owner, I support legislation to increase Maryland's inadequate minimum wage because it makes good business sense. It's an important part of our economic recovery and economic progress. I know businesses can pay a better minimum wage and still make a profit - it helps the business prosper.

Opponents of this legislation like the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Maryland Retailers Association, and the Restaurant Association tell you the time is not right to increase the minimum wage because the economy...

By Andrew Damstedt
The Sentinel, March 16, 2011 

A job creator or a job killer is the debate circling two bills that would raise the minimum wage.

A bill backed by Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Fort Washington, in Congress would raise the minimum wage for tipped employees, while a bill facing debate in Annapolis would raise the minimum wage for tipped employees and the regular minimum wage.

The bill before the General Assembly would increase Maryland’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9.75 per hour by 2013. Tipped employees would see their minimum wage rise...

Testimony on House Bill 988 on Raising the Maryland Minimum Wage
Before House Economic Matters Committee, March 8, 2011

Brian England, Co-Owner, British American Auto Care, Columbia, MD

My name is Brian England. I am co-owner with my wife of British American Auto Care Inc. an auto service and repair facility in Columbia. We have been in business since 1978 and our company has won many awards, including Maryland Small Business of the Year. Last year, we were one of five companies that were awarded the 2010 Maryland Green Registry Leadership Award. We pay our employees...

Jefferson City -- A bill that would repeal a 2006 voter initiative by capping the state minimum wage has moved to the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain.

The bill was a goal of House leadership, but their Senate counterparts haven't made it as much of a priority. Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer said he didn't know when - or even if - the chamber would take up the bill.

"Others have been a greater priority for me," he said.

The bill would cap the state minimum wage at the federal level, which is...

By Kathrine Olsen Flaate
Truman State University Index, March 3, 2011

The Missouri House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would freeze Missouri minimum wage from exceeding the federal minimum wage, even if the Consumer Price Index increases.

If the cost of living increases, the minimum wage of $7.25 would not increase with it as it normally does. The federal minimum wage and state minimum wage currently are the same. The Missouri Senate still has to pass the bill before it is made law.

The Committee on International Trade and Job creation, which Representative...

Testimony on SB716,“Labor and Employment - Maryland Wage and Hour Law - Payment of Wages”
For Senate Finance Committee, March 3, 2011

Craig Sewell, Owner, A Cook’s Café, Annapolis

I am submitting this testimony to voice my support as a business owner for raising Maryland’s minimum wage.  It is a vital step for the wellbeing of our workers, our economy and our state.

A Cook’s Café has been in business in Annapolis since 2002.  Its business model is based on four activities – restaurant, catering, cooking instruction and connecting consumers with local foods through its Market...

By Rebecca Berg
St. Louis Post Dispatch, Feb 24, 2011

About 32 years ago, Lew Prince started a business with 300 records and $20.

Today, Vintage Vinyl in University City has ballooned into a multimillion-dollar business with 19 full-time and six part-time employees.

Prince attributes the success of his business model to two factors in particular: quality employees and loyal customers. But both would be at risk, he said, if state legislators pushing minimum wage restrictions get their way.

Just four years after Missouri voters approved a measure to raise the state's minimum wage, the...

By Lew Prince
St. Louis Post Dispatch, Feb 23, 2011

The Republicans in the Missouri Legislature are trying to overturn the clearly expressed will of the people in order to give gigantic welfare checks to some of America's biggest corporations.

Nearly 1.6 million Missourians voted to raise the minimum wage in 2006. Only 501,657 voted against the proposition. That was a 3-to-1 margin.

To put that into perspective, in the same election, Democrat Claire McCaskill beat Republican Jim Talent by fewer than 49,000 votes in the U.S. Senate race. That means more than a million...

Mark Reardon Show

CBS St. Louis, KMOX, Feb 23, 2011

Limiting Missouri’s Minimum Wage

Missouri Senator Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau and Vintage Vinyl owner Lew Prince dispute the state’s effort to limit the minimum wage.

Listen Here: http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2011/02/23/mark-reardon-show-wednesday-febr…

By Wes Duplantier/The Associated Press
Columbia Missourian, January 26, 2011

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri business owners and hourly workers voiced mixed opinions Wednesday about whether the state should change its minimum wage law.

Several business owners told a House panel that lawmakers should repeal a minimum wage law Missouri voters approved in 2006 and instead keep its minimum wage equal to the federal rate. The 2006 law provides for annual increases based on the pace of inflation in the Midwest.

The business owners said Missouri's minimum wage should stay equal to the federal minimum, $7.25...

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ANNAPOLIS, MD (CNN) - Lawmakers in Maryland are debating raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 an hour over the next two years.

The legislation is touted as a stimulus package for the state and supporters say that the increase will pump more than $1 billion into the economy.

State senator Rob Garagiola (D) said studies indicate that raising minimum wage does not encourage job loss.

"You get a positive economic impact in helping those middle-class workers be able to pay their mortgage, pay their bills and meet their family obligations," Garagiola...

Kitchen workers often make minimum wage. So do housekeepers and store clerks. That’s $7.25 an hour, but a bill in Annapolis would raise it to $8.25 this year, to $9.10 next year and in 2013 to $10 an hour.

“We believe a job should keep people out of poverty, not in it,” said Rev. Ken Brooker-Langston.

A plant farm owner joined religious and labor leaders to support paying workers more. “I can count on those employees to look after the quality of products we make,” said John Shepley.

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce says if...