Prometheus 6

Approval Expected For 'Living Wage' Bill
Md. House Considers Measure to Raise Pay Of Contract Employees
By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 6, 2007; B01

Maryland would become the first state in the nation to mandate that state contractors pay employees a "living wage" under a bill moving briskly toward passage in the House of Delegates yesterday.

The legislation would require that at least $11.30 an hour be paid for work on state contracts in Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties and in Baltimore. In other, more rural, counties, where jobs are less plentiful, the floor would be set at $8.50 an hour, still significantly higher than the state's minimum wage of $6.15.

During initial debate yesterday, supporters said the legislation would benefit thousands of workers across Maryland, while opponents argued that it would drive up the cost of state contracts when the state is facing a $1.5 billion budget shortfall next year.

"It's going to lift tens of thousands of Marylanders out of poverty," said Del. Tom Hucker (D-Montgomery), a leading proponent of the bill. "It makes Maryland a leader in ensuring that our tax dollars are helping build the middle class rather than perpetuating poverty."

The House is expected to give final approval to the bill today. House leaders said they were confident they have the votes to pass the bill, though they said they were unlikely to have the support of most Republicans and some Democrats from rural areas, who are unhappy with the two-tiered approach.