Henry Veilleux, Sheehan Phinney Capitol Group

The debate in the legislature about New Hampshire's minimum hourly wage began this past week and will continue over the next month.  

The House Labor Committee heard two bills this past Tuesday to establish a minimum wage in New Hampshire that is higher than the federal minimum of $7.25/hour. HB 127 would set NH's minimum wage at $8.00, and then require the Commissioner of Labor to annually report to the legislature what NH's minimum wage would be if it was adjusted by the rate of inflation based upon the Consumer Price Index of the Northeast Region. The NH Legislature would then have to decide whether or not to adjust the rate based upon that information.  

HB 241 would set a New Hampshire minimum wage rate at $9.25/hour on September  1, 2013. Many business groups opposed the bills as harmful to entry level jobs. Supporters claimed it would help the economy by putting more money into the pockets of low-wage workers, which would then increase consumer spending.

Two more bills are on the agenda over the next few weeks. SB 77 will be heard in the Senate Commerce Committee next Thursday, Feb. 7, at 2:30 p.m. It would re-establish a New Hampshire minimum wage of $7.25/hour. This bill is largely symbolic. Two years ago, the republican-led legislature repealed NH's minimum wage of $7.25/hour.  It had no practical effect, because NH employers still have to abide by the federal minimum hourly rate of $7.25/hour. Likewise, there will be no practical effect if SB 77 is enacted into law. New Hampshire employers already must comply with a $7.25 minimum wage rate.  Sponsors of SB 77 want a symbolic victory. Employers in New Hampshire can sit back and watch this one. 

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Feb. 19, the House Labor Committee will hear HB 501, which would establish a New Hampshire minimum wage of $8.25/hour. 

There is a chance that the Democratic-controlled House could pass one of the bills to increase New Hampshire's minimum wage. It is unlikely, however, that it would pass the Republican-controlled Senate. So what may happen is that the symbolic bill to set New Hampshire's minimum wage at $7.25 could be the last bill standing and enacted into law. Sounds like a lot of work for something that New Hampshire's employers may not even notice or be concerned about. 

A related piece of legislation will be heard in the Senate Commerce Committee next Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m. SB 100 would eliminate the requirement that an employer who pays wages by electronic fund transfer offer employees the option of being paid by check. A similar bill was laid on the table in the Senate last year.  It was never taken off the table and voted upon.