Tipped workers would receive that much less than the minimum wage so long as their tips make up the difference by 50 cents or more. This measure will do more harm than good in the long run. The minimum wage was last raised in 1993. Gov. Ben Cayetano, who last year lobbied hard for a minimum wage increase, said last night that the bill would help residents on welfare who will lose their benefits in December. House Republicans, however, warned that small businesses will be hurt.
People have to work for a living.
And people can't work for a living if there's no work to be done. The bill was one of hundreds voted on last night as the 2001 legislative session wraps up it work for the year. The session is scheduled to officially close tomorrow. One of the closest votes in the Senate came over a bill that would require children under 8 years old and weighing less than 80 pounds to be strapped into a booster seat or child-safety seat when riding in cars. The current law calls for children under age 4 to be in a safety seat.