Minimum wage increase dead for 2019 session
While nearly all lawmakers wanted to increase Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage this year, state House and Senate negotiators threw in the towel Friday afternoon.
The sticking point was “serious concerns,” as Rep. Aaron Johanson said, from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
The agency advised that allowing one rate increase from the current $10.10 an hour to $15 an hour by 2024—but also allowing an increase to just $13 for employees that are provided healthcare—could invite legal challenges.
A last-minute proposal from Johanson to his counterpart, Sen. Brian Taniguchi, called for an annual incremental increase to $15 in 2024.
Instead, the two sides deferred House Bill 1191 but promised to bring up an improved measure next January.
Taniguchi expressed disappointment while Johanson termed the turn of events “bittersweet.”
