An 89-5 vote passed a minimum wage increase bill through the House of Delegates on Wednesday. The bill calls for the raising of minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.00 an hour by January 1, 2015. The wage would then increase an additional seventy- five cents to $8.75 an hour on January 1, 2016. The raise in minimum wage is argued to positively affect both households and the economy in West Virginia. Supporters of the bill declare they are fighting for the success of this bill for West Virginia and the working families within it.
Clay County Democrat Delegate David Walker said he believes the increase should be to the $10 an hour level. “You can’t always get what you want,” Walker said. Although he was not successful in getting the wage increase he desired, Del. Walker said he still voted in favor of the bill, believing it will still stimulate West Virginia’s economy.
The bill will now pass to the Senate for consideration.