TOPEKA — The state minimum wage would increase to $7.25 as of Jan. 1 under a bill that received first-round approval from the House on Wednesday.
It's been 20 years since Kansas raised its minimum wage, currently $2.65.
About 15,000 Kansans are paid the state minimum wage, said House Assistant Minority Leader Jim Ward, D-Wichita.
Senate Bill 160 will likely come up for final action vote on Thursday, then be sent to the Senate to concur or disagree with changes the House made.
The House amended the bill to tie the state's minimum wage to the federal limits -- meaning Kansas wouldn't wait another two decades before raising the rate.
Democrats have tried unsuccessfully for several years to raise the minimum wage and listed the effort as one of their top goals this year in the House.
There still is some resistance to the idea.
Read the full story at Kansas.com