Ballot Initiative to Raise Idaho Minimum Wage Gets Go-ahead

(KLIX)-The Idaho Secretary of State has given the thumbs up to proponents of a ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage. Lawerence Denney announced Wednesday the new initiative may move forward and begin collecting signatures for a 2020 ballot initiative aiming to increase the state's minimum wage.

The group, Idahoans for a Fair Wage, now must get signatures of 50,365 registered voters in order to qualify for the ballot, according to the Secretary of State.

The signatures must also come from at least 18 legislative districts with at least six percent of registered voters from each of those districts. The group can collect signatures until April 30, 2020 and then must submit them to county elections officials by May 1, 2020.

The current state minimum wage is $7.25. The initiative would create a formula during a four year period to increase the minimum wage. You can read the language of the initiative bellow:

An initiative amending minimum wage law by increasing the general minimum wage and minimum wage of tipped employees. An initiative amending chapter 15, title 44, Idaho Code; increasing minimum wage rate applicable to most non-exempt employees annually for four (4) consecutive years; establishing formula for subsequent years to annually adjust minimum wage rate in direct proportion to increases in specified federal consumer price index; increasing minimum wage amount of direct wages paid to tipped employees annually for four (4) consecutive years; providing on January 1 of each year following the fourth year minimum wage for tipped employees shall not be less than three dollars and ninety cents ($3.90) less than general minimum wage; and repealing subsection (3) of section 44-1502, Idaho Code, removing allowance for employers to pay a minimum wage rate of four dollars and twenty-five cents ($4.25) to employees under age of twenty (20) for a period of ninety (90) days after initially employed.