2:27
The last time the state passed a law increasing the minimum wage was in 2014, when it was raised over four years from $7.25 an hour to $10.10.
The legislature considered proposals last year to increase it again, but then the pandemic hit. State lawmakers then shifted their focus on the state s response to the coronavirus.
Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi president and CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara says before the pandemic struck, the organization was supportive of a minimum wage increase. But Menor-McNamara says now is not the time to pass such a proposal. We have to focus on our economic recovery, she said. Let s help and support these small businesses so they can continue to keep their doors open, and continue keep positions available to the extent possible. So let s focus on that.