Charleston Daily Mail – The House Industry and Labor Committee on Wednesday moved a bill that would incrementally increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.25 an hour. Read
An expert testifying before the committee said West Virginia has the second-lowest minimum wage at $7.25 an hour. That can be pinpointed as the root cause for many economic problems in the state, including child poverty.
“Almost all of that stems from being I think the second-lowest wage state in the country,” said Stephen Smith, executive director of West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families. “When you pay people low wages, everything else goes bad.”