SPRINGFIELD, Ill. —
Gov. Pat Quinn waded into contentious waters with business leaders and Republicans Wednesday when he called for a 20 percent increase in the Illinois minimum wage.
During his annual State of the State address to lawmakers, the Chicago Democrat asked them to raise the minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 an hour.
The state already has one of the highest rates in the nation.
“Nobody in Illinois should work 40 hours a week and live in poverty,” Quinn said during his speech. “That’s a principle as old as the Bible.”
Quinn is seeking to revive a proposal that was floated last year but didn’t make it out of committee. Lawmakers said that such a proposal would need cooperation from the business community to get any traction.
AP story section
February 7, 2013
Quinn proposes raising Illinois minimum wage
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