DENVER | A Colorado Democrat is introducing legislation asking voters to increase the state’s minimum wage from $8.23 an hour to $12.50.
The proposal needs two thirds of the Colorado Legislature to approve sending it to the ballot. Rep. Dominick Moreno of Commerce City says he knows his proposal doesn’t have the votes to pass. But he says he hopes the debate will help jumpstart an effort outside the state Capitol to make it on the 2016 ballot.
Moreno’s bill was being introduced Thursday. It would increase the minimum wage by a dollar each year until reaching $12.50 by 2020.
Republican House Leader Brian DelGrosso says Moreno’s idea would put Colorado businesses at a competitive disadvantage with other states, and that it could increase costs to consumers.