Md. House Approves Minimum Wage Hike
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The Maryland House of Delegates has approved phasing in an increase in the state's minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 by 2017.
The House voted 89-46 for the measure on Friday.
The bill would increase the minimum wage to $8.20 in January. It would rise to $9.15 in January 2016 and $10.10 in January 2017.
The measure as amended by the House does not include an indexing for inflation that Gov. Martin O'Malley had supported for future years after 2017. The bill is a top priority of the Democratic governor this session.
The measure also keeps an exemption for restaurants and bars that make less than $250,000 a year from paying minimum wage.
The bill now goes to the state Senate.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)