Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Proposal to raise Nevada minimum wage to $13 moves forward

CARSON CITY — A District Court judge has ruled that an initiative petition to raise the minimum wage in Nevada to $13 an hour by 2024 is valid, allowing supporters to start gathering signatures to put the question on the election ballot.

The initiative was challenged by Chambers of Commerce in Las Vegas and Reno under the Committee to Preserve Nevada Jobs. The committee sought to show the petition was invalid because, among other things, it was misleading.

Judge James Wilson said today the petition language doesn't need to be changed.

Kevin Benson, an attorney for the chambers, said after the ruling an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court would be discussed.

The Committee to Raise the Minimum Wage in Nevada must gather 55,234 signatures from registered voters by June 21 to get the question on the 2016 election ballot.

Nevada’s minimum wage is $7.25 for workers whose employers provide health insurance and $8.25 an hour without insurance.

The initiative would create a single, $9.25 an hour rate in late 2018, then increase it by 75 cents each year until it reaches $13 in 2024. After that, it would be tied to the federal minimum wage or cost of living.

There have been efforts in the Legislature to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour, but all of them have failed.

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