Nevada bill looks to increase minimum wage

Raising Nevada’s minimum wage for workers was one of the topics covered by more than 140 bills introduced in the Nevada Legislature on Monday.

Assembly Bill 456, which comes from the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee, would raise the minimum wage in Nevada to $12 per hour — one of the state Democrats’ key policy promises during the 2018 campaign.

Nevada’s current minimum wage sits at $7.25 for employees with health insurance and $8.25 for those without. It was last raised in 2010. A law that sought to raise it to $12 per hour by 2022 passed the Legislature in 2017 but was vetoed by then-Gov. Brian Sandoval, a Republican.

But the new proposal has a better chance this time around as new Gov. Steve Sisolak, the first Democrat to hold the governorship in 20 years, has voiced his support for raising the minimum wage.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter. Contact Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter.