Copyright 2023 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE – The debate over New Mexico’s minimum wage is far from settled.
Just weeks after the state’s minimum wage increased to $12 an hour under the final step-up mandated by a 2019 bill, two new proposals calling for future increases generated heated debate Tuesday at the Roundhouse.
After more than three hours of discussion that ranged from enchilada prices to poverty rates around New Mexico, the House Labor, Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee advanced one bill dealing with the minimum wage, but held off on voting on another until later this week.
The approved measure, House Bill 28, is sponsored by Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, D-Albuquerque, and would require annual increases to the minimum wage tied to inflation.
The approach is “essentially a win-win solution for both our workers and our businesses,” Garcia claimed during Tuesday’s hearing, saying it would benefit workers, while also providing certainty for employers by avoiding big wage spikes mandated by lawmakers.
Under an amended version of the proposal, the inflation-related adjustments would take effect every January, starting next year, and could boost the minimum wage to $15.55 per hour by 2034, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.
The measure was approved on a party-line 7-4 vote, with Democratic committee members voting in favor and Republicans voting in opposition.
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