In Annual State Law Survey, DOL Reports that Minimum Wage Was "Hot Button" Issue

The minimum wage was the "hot button" issue in 2005. More than 140 minimum-wage bills were introduced in at least 42 States and the District of Columbia. In Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, State minimum-wage rates increased either because of new legislation that was enacted, because of laws that were previously enacted and that contained scheduled increases. In the January 2006 issue of Monthly Labor Review, BLS reports on additional state law developements included child labor, drug and alcohol testing, equal employment opportunity, human trafficking, prevailing wages, time off, wage payment, and worker privacy.