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Minimum wage bill in Massachusetts gets Obama's praises

Minimum wage bill in Massachusetts would raise the state's per hour wage from $8 to $11. President Obama said Thursday he looks forward to Gov. Deval Patrick, a fellow Democrat, signing the minimum wage bill.

President Barack Obama is praising Massachusetts lawmakers for "standing up for working men and women" and approving a bill that would raise the state's $8 per hour聽minimum聽wage聽to $11 per hour by 2017.

Obama said Thursday he looks forward to Gov. Deval Patrick, a fellow Democrat, signing the bill. He urged Congress to follow Massachusetts' lead and "lift聽wages聽for 28 million Americans by raising the federal聽minimum聽wage聽to $10.10."

"Under the leadership of Governor Patrick, Massachusetts joins a growing coalition of states, cities and counties that are doing (their) part to make sure no American working full-time has to support a family in poverty," Obama said in a written statement.

The聽wage聽would be the highest state聽minimum聽wage聽in the country. The Massachusetts Senate gave final approval to the measure Thursday, a day after the House signed off on the compromise bill.

Patrick, who is a friend of Obama and helped campaign for his re-election, could sign the bill as early as next week.

The measure would increase the聽minimum聽wage聽gradually, to $9 per hour in 2015, $10 in 2016 and $11 in 2017.

The measure also would gradually raise the聽minimum聽wage聽for tipped workers, such as restaurant servers, from $2.63 per hour to $3.75 per hour, a 31 percent increase and the first since 1999.

A group behind a ballot question to raise the聽minimum聽wage聽has said it may pull the question if Patrick signs the bill.

The ballot question would have automatically linked future increases in the聽minimum聽wage聽to increases in the state's rate of inflation.

The final, compromise version of the bill dropped that provision, which had been included in an earlier Senate version but was not included in the House version.

Critics have warned that the higher聽minimum聽wage聽could harm small businesses. Republicans had called on lawmakers to instead consider other ways to help low-income workers, such as boosting the state's earned income tax credit.

"It's too much, too fast, too soon," House Minority Leader Brad Jones, R-North Reading, said of the 38 percent increase in the聽minimum聽wage聽during the House debate Wednesday.

Senate President Therese Murray defended the higher聽wage, however, saying that adjusting for inflation the聽minimum聽wagein 1968 would be worth $10.72 today. The Plymouth Democrat said the bill also lowers costs for businesses through an updated unemployment insurance rating table and multi-year rate freeze.

Senate Ways and Means Chairman Stephen Brewer said the higher聽wage聽is needed.

"There should be no connection between the words working and poor," the Barre Democrat said. "If you work hard for a living, you deserve to be compensated fairly and adequately."

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