HONOLULU Hawaii’s minimum wage would rise to $9 per hour under a proposal that was reportedly approved by a state House of Representatives committee on Tuesday. The bill calls for a 75-cent per hour increase in the pay floor, to $8, in July 2009, and a rise to $9 by 2011.
The bill passed the House Labor Committee with a 10-2 vote, though it was amended to change the enactment dates.
The state has a tip credit that allows restaurants to pay servers 25 cents below the minimum wage. A separate measure proposed in the state Senate would set the minimum pay for servers at no more than 25 percent below the minimum wage, a move that supporters contend will reduce the impact of higher labor costs on businesses.
