Advocates for higher minimum wages in Ohio are one step closer to putting an issue on the statewide ballot in November 2024.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Wednesday approved the petition language. Next step is for the Ohio Ballot Board to determine if the proposal is a single issue or multiple issues. The board must meet by April 17.
Once the issue clears the ballot board, backers must collect 413,000 valid signatures from registered voters by July 2024 to make it to the November 2024 statewide ballot.
Raise the Wage Ohio is part of a national campaign run by One Fair Wage that is seeking to boost pay in 15 states. Research by Policy Matters Ohio, a left-leaning think tank, estimated that 1.4 million Ohioans would benefit if the minimum wage were increased.
If voters approve the constitutional amendment, the state minimum wage would increase to $12.75 an hour starting Jan. 1, 2025 and $15 an hour in 2026. Increases after that would be indexed to inflation.
For tipped employees, they'd gradually see their wages increase and then be paid the full minimum wage, plus tips, starting Jan. 1, 2029.
The amendment would also repeal provisions that allow people with mental or physical disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage. It would also do away with a provision that allows employers to pay workers under age 16 the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 an hour.
The state minimum wage...
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