Idaho Senate Panel Clears Local Minimum Wage Ban Bill

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would ban local governments from increasing the minimum wage has advanced to the Idaho Senate.

The Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee voted along party lines Wednesday to send the measure to the Senate floor. Pam Eaton of the Idaho Retailers Association told the Republican-controlled committee raising minimum wage in some communities and not others creates a checkerboard of regulation that is unfair to businesses.

Other supporters have argued that it's also unclear whether local municipalities currently have the authority to impose a minimum wage increase. Meanwhile, the measure's critics say the legislation takes away local control and ensures that Idaho will remain a low-wage state.