A measure that would have increased the Wyoming minimum wage died on the floor of the Wyoming House this week.
According to a Wyoming Tribune Eagle report, House Bill 273 failed by a 36-23 vote. The bill was sponsored by House Minority Leader Cathy Connolly of Laramie.
The bill would have increased the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 an hour. State law sets the current minimum wage at $5.15 an hour, however, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour supersedes the state in most workplaces.
Connolly had argued that raising the minimum wage would help those struggling to get by, but opponents said the government should let the free market decide rates of pay.