Wage increase OK'd for ballot

Petition’s signers top 70,000

An initiated act seeking to raise the state's minimum wage will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot, election officials announced Wednesday.

Secretary of State Mark Martin's office certified the ballot initiative and confirmed that the group Give Arkansas a Raise Now had submitted at least 70,074 valid petition signatures. It needed at least 62,507 to qualify.

If approved by voters, the measure would increase Arkansas' minimum wage from $6.25 an hour to $7.50 on Jan. 1, 2015; $8 an hour on Jan. 1, 2016; and $8.50 on Jan. 1, 2017.

"We're certainly excited. It's now on the ballot and we look forward to the next couple months of really getting the word out to help raise the minimum wage in Arkansas," said Steve Copley, chairman of Give Arkansas a Raise Now. "We're developing a plan right now, and we should be ready to move into full action in the next week. A key component will be working with the members of the coalition, who know grass-roots volunteers and members all over the state, to share our message with the community and relay the importance of increasing the minimum wage for Arkansas families."

In July, the group fell short of its goal by 15,107 signatures after almost 8,000 pages were disqualified because the petitions were blurry or illegible. The group submitted nearly 70,000 additional signatures Aug. 18.

The Legislature last increased the minimum wage in 2006, raising the hourly rate from $5.15 to $6.25.

Arkansas is one of four states -- along with Minnesota, Wyoming and Georgia -- with state minimum wages lower than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Companies that make less than $500,000 and don't engage in interstate commerce can use the state minimum wage instead of the federal rate.

Randy Zook, president and chief executive officer of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, said most chamber-affiliated businesses are already required to pay the federal minimum wage.

He's unaware of any organized opposition to the initiative, he added.

The measure, which will be labeled Issue No. 5 on the ballot, will appear with a constitutional amendment to allow the sale and transportation of alcohol throughout the state, as well as three measures originating from the Legislature.

Opponents of the alcohol amendment have said they plan to file a legal challenge with the Supreme Court based on a Article 5, Section 1 of the state constitution that requires initial petitions to be turned in not less than four months before the election.

That date for submitting signatures fell on a Friday, July 4. Because it was a holiday, the secretary of state's office moved the deadline to Monday, July 7. Both groups handed in their petitions July 7.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no action had been filed with the Supreme Court, according to the state's online court records system.

Meanwhile, several Democratic candidates as well as the Democratic Party of Arkansas issued statements of support for the minimum-wage ballot measure Wednesday. Several Democratic candidates including U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, 2nd Congressional District candidate Patrick Henry Hays and gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross signed the petition for the ballot initiative.

Hal Bass, a political science professor at Ouachita Baptist University, said the ballot initiative could help Democrats in November.

"The problem that Democrats face in off-year elections is their constituency is less likely to vote as a matter of routine. They need some stimulation or encouragement. Something like the minimum-wage ballot initiative can help," Bass said. "There's no guarantee that this is going to be a transformative event. But, it does provide the potential to stimulate a Democratic-leaning electorate to show up for the polls."

Ross issued a statement Wednesday attacking his Republican opponent, Asa Hutchinson, for opposing the initiative.

"Arkansans deserve to know why Congressman Hutchinson believes $17,680 is too much money for an Arkansan working full time to earn a living and raise a family," Ross wrote. "I have consistently voted to raise the minimum wage, I signed the minimum wage petition to get the measure on the ballot, and I will proudly vote in November to give hardworking Arkansans a raise."

Hutchinson said he's consistently supported raising the minimum wage though he'd like legislators, not voters, to increase it.

"It is ridiculous for Congressman Ross to continue attacking me on this issue as I have consistently supported raising Arkansas's minimum wage and even publicly stated my support in December of 2013 while Mike said he was studying whether Arkansas should raise the minimum wage," Hutchinson wrote.

"I would prefer that the legislature address the matter so that in the future the minimum wage can be increased, as needed, with a simple majority which is an easier process."

If the initiative passes, it would take a supermajority of two-thirds of the House and Senate for legislators to change the minimum wage in the future. Article 5, Section 1 of the Arkansas Constitution prohibits the Legislature from amending or repealing any measure voted on by the people without a two-thirds majority of both chambers.

A section on 09/04/2014

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