Washington Speaker of the House Frank Chopp supports a minimum wage hike. But he says the issue wasn’t ready for a vote on the House floor this year. The Democrat made his comments Friday in a rare meeting with the Capitol press corps.
“I think it was important to start the conversation and have a good discussion, and figure out where there’s consensus over moving forward. Because if you’re working, you shouldn’t be poor,” Chopp said.
House Democrats this year introduced a measure to raise Washington’s minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2017, but it did not pass out of the House budget committee.
Chopp acknowledges concerns about the impact to small businesses. He notes that while the minimum wage proposal died, House Democrats this year did pass a paid sick leave measure. Its fate in the mostly Republican controlled Washington Senate is unclear.
