Senate President Donna Soucy Urges Governor Sununu to Sign HB 731, Raise the Minimum Wage
Contact Name: Sara Persechino
Phone: (603) 271-3479
Email: Sara.Persechino@leg.state.nh.us
CONCORD - Today, HB 731, a bill to reestablish and raise New Hampshire’s minimum wage, was delivered to the Secretary of State. As amended, HB 731 mirrors the language of SB 410, sponsored by Senate President Donna Soucy (D-Manchester), and raises the minimum wage to $10 per hour in 2021 and $12 per hour in 2023. It next goes to the governor’s desk where he will have five business days to sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without his signature.
Senate President Donna Soucy (D-Manchester) issued the following statement in response:
“The coronavirus pandemic has been financially devastating for families across New Hampshire. At the end of the month, the federal unemployment benefits that have given so many low wage workers the ability to keep the lights on and put food on the table will be gone. The economic downturn we are facing as a nation has only exacerbated the significant disparity felt by our minimum wage workers.
New Hampshire is the only state in New England that does not set our own minimum wage and instead relies on the federal government to set it. Year after year we have fallen behind our neighboring states, driving away the workers we so desperately need. It is long past time to reestablish and raise New Hampshire’s minimum wage. I urge Governor Sununu to sign HB 731, or at least allow it to become law without his signature, and allow us to begin working towards a living wage for all.”
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