While state House Representatives turned down three bills on Tuesday that aimed to improve Wyoming’s minimum wage, they passed a fourth bill to more strictly enforce equal pay laws already in place.
While state House Representatives turned down three bills on Feb. 5 that aimed to improve Wyoming’s minimum wage, they passed a fourth bill to more strictly enforce equal pay laws already in place.
The Legislature declined to pass one bill authored by Representative Connolly and Senators Gierau and Kost that would have raised the minimum wage $0.25 a year until it reached $8.50 from $5.15 per hour, currently the lowest minimum wage in the nation.
While Wyoming has the lowest minimum wage in the U.S., it only applies to jobs that fall into a specific category exempting them from the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Some jobs and types of workers are eligible for the state minimum wages these may include disabled workers, farm workers, full-time students, and non-profit workers. Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act have to pay federal minimum wage, according to the Department of Labor. Vocational students, full time students, retail employees, farmers and disabled workers may also be subject to payment underneath the federal minimum.
District 19 Senator R.J. Kost co-signed the bill in order to level the playing field for Wyoming citizens who do not currently make federal minimum wage.
“Most people do pay better than minimum wage but to those who don’t it’s not fair,” said Kost. “I think we can’t look at this as ‘Most people make more so we’re already there.’ I think we need to make sure that people that aren’t making more are payed respectable to their job.”
The bill co-sponsored by Kost opted for a steady raise to make critics more open to the idea.
“If you can get something to start it and work your way up its better to start with a modest request and work your way up from their then have everybody totally against it from the start,” Kost said.
Some University of Wyoming students understand just what it means to live at minimum or near-minimum wage. Freshman student Megan Lovitt currently makes $0.25 over the state minimum wage and formerly worked at Wyoming’s minimum wage.
“It’s a decent amount but I don’t think it’s enough to live off of,” Lovitt said. “It helps you get by but if that’s all you’re going off of I don’t think it’s enough.”
Lovitt went on to say that if she had attended a different college while working at Wyoming’s minimum wage it would have presented a challenge. Instead of racking up debt, her financial aid exceeds her cost of attends and some is refunded. Anywhere else, she said, would probably have to find a better-paying job.
Lovitt as a student and resident in Wyoming thinks that the minimum wage is fair when compared with our cost of living.
“I don’t see the biggest deal in it honestly,” Lovitt said. “Since every state varies I think it’s good for Wyoming.”
Student Wade Musso works at or above the federal minimum wage and thought that the exceptions involved in being eligible for the Wyoming minimum wage seemed reasonable. Still, he would have to make some adjustments if he worked at the state minimum.
“I would think it would affect me negatively because at those rates I would have to work a lot to make monthly payments and things like that,” said Musso.
Kost also said that one of the main reasons the minimum wage has not been raised is that it affects the bottom line of organizations that are able to pay the state minimum wage.
“The reason it’s that low is it just hasn’t been addressed in a long period of time,” Kost said. “A lot of people are very reluctant in raising that because it affects their bottom line.”
The Legislature declined to pass one bill authored by Representative Connolly and Senators Gierau and Kost that would have raised the minimum wage $0.25 a year until it reached $8.50 from $5.15 per hour, currently the lowest minimum wage in the nation.
While Wyoming has the lowest minimum wage in the U.S., it only applies to jobs that fall into a specific category exempting them from the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Some professions and types of workers are eligible for the state minimum wages, an exemption designed to promote various employment opportunities.
Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay federal minimum wage, according to the Department of Labor. Vocational students, full time students, retail employees, farmers and disabled workers may also be subject to payment underneath the federal minimum.
District 19 Senator R.J. Kost co-signed the bill in order to level the playing field for Wyoming citizens who do not currently make federal minimum wage.
“Most people do pay better than min wage but to those who don’t it’s not fair,” said Kost. “I think we can’t look at this as ‘Most people make more so we’re already there.’ I think we need to make sure that people that aren’t making more are payed respectable to their job.”
The bill co-sponsored by Kost opted for a steady raise to make critics more open to the idea.
“If you can get something to start it and work your way up its better to start with a modest request and work your way up from their then have everybody totally against it from the start,” Kost said.
Some University of Wyoming students understand just what it means to live at minimum or near-minimum wage. Freshman student Megan Lovitt currently makes $0.25 over the state minimum wage and formerly worked at Wyoming’s minimum wage.
“It’s a decent amount but I don’t think it’s enough to live off of,” Lovitt said. “It helps you get by but if that’s all you’re going off of I don’t think it’s enough.”
Lovitt went on to say that if she had attended a different college while working at Wyoming’s minimum wage it would have presented a challenge. Instead of racking up debt, her financial aid exceeds her cost of attends and some is refunded. Anywhere else, she said, would probably would have to find a better-paying job.
Lovitt as a student and resident in Wyoming thinks that the minimum wage is fair when compared with our cost of living.
“I don’t see the biggest deal in it honestly,” Lovitt said. “Since every state varies I think it’s good for Wyoming.”
Student Wade Musso works at or above the federal minimum wage and thought that the exceptions involved in being eligible for the Wyoming minimum wage seemed reasonable. Still, he would have to make some adjustments if he worked at the state minimum.
“I would think it would affect me negatively because at those rates I would have to work a lot to make monthly payments and things like that,” said Musso.
Kost also said that one of the main reasons the minimum wage has not been raised is that it affects the bottom line of organizations that are able to pay the state minimum wage.
“The reason it’s that low is it just hasn’t been addressed in a long period of time,” Kost said. “A lot of people are very reluctant in rasing that because it affects their bottom line.”
