A bill in Topeka introduced by State Senator Cindy Holscher, a Johnson County Democrat in the northeast part of the state, calls for increasing the Kansas minimum wage to $16 per hour.
The proposed legislation was introduced Tuesday, then referred to the Kansas Legislature’s Committee on Commerce Wednesday morning.
Kansas’ current minimum wage is $7.25, were it's been for the past 16 years. At times there’s been a push to increase the mark, including last year when a measure backed by Governor Laura Kelly called for increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Kansas is among 34 states with a $7.25 minimum wage. Washington, D.C., has the highest minimum wage in the nation at $17.50; the state of Washington has the highest minimum wage among the 50 states, also in excess of $17/hour.
Kansas has a lower minimum wage than three states it borders: Missouri and Nebraska have minimum wages of $15 per hour, while Colorado is at $15.16. Oklahoma has the same minimum wage as Kansas.