Voters Could Have Say On Minimum Wage Hike

(Springfield, IL) -- House Speaker Michael Madigan wants to put the minimum wage issue on the November ballot to let voters decide if it should be bumped to ten-bucks-an-hour. State Representative Jil Tracy says businesses will just pass the costs on to consumers. The wage bump would put an-extra 36-hundred-dollars in people's pockets each year. Madigan's plan cleared a House committee Friday morning. If it makes it to the ballot, it would be in the form of a non-binding resolution. That means even if voters think the wage should go up, lawmakers won't be required to do it. Republicans are fighting against the wage hike. They say it'll kill business and make Illinois less competitive on the jobs front.