Statehouse News Bureau

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Petitioners Gathering Signatures To Put Minimum Wage Increase On November Ballot

By Andy Chow

Published February 7, 2020 at 2:45 PM EST

A group trying to increase Ohio’s minimum wage with an amendment to the state constitution got permission this week from the Ohio Ballot Board to begin collecting signatures to get the issue on the November ballot.

Supporters of the plan have to gather nearly 443,000 valid signatures by the beginning of July in order to qualify for the ballot.

The so-called Raise The Wage amendment would increase the minimum wage by annual increments to eventually reach $13 an hour by 2025. The proposal seeks first to increase the minimum wage to $9.60 an hour. Then, it would increase every year so by 2025 it would be up to $13 per hour. After that point, the rate would automatically adjust for inflation every year.

The measure is similar to pieces of legislation that has passed in other states.

Democrats have proposed bills to raise the minimum wage several times in the last few legislative sessions, including one that would hike it to $15 eventually. None have moved very far, though an Ohio law to stop local communities from increasing the required minimum wage passed in 2016.