TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey Senate panel narrowly passed a resolution Monday that would ask voters to approve a minimum wage increase next year along with automatic yearly adjustments.
The vote was 7-6. The proposal did not receive any Republican support, perhaps because Gov. Chris Christie opposes the idea of changing the constitution over the minimum wage. He called the idea "truly ridiculous."
Senate President Steve Sweeney, the resolution's sponsor, said he decided to try the constitutional approach after Christie told him he would not sign a bill that includes indexed wage adjustments tied to national economic data. The Legislature, not the governor, approve questions for ballot consideration.
New Jersey's minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour, the same as the federal rate and many other states, was last raised in 2010. Sweeney fought to tie future wage increases to the Consumer Price Index when the wage was raised in 2005 but lost. The Gloucester County Democrat now says it was a mistake to back down on that portion of the bill.
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