Capital Region Scene

Local assemblymen support minimum wage increase

Freshmen Assembly members Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, and Phil Steck, D-Colonie, both supported legislation that passed their chamber on Tuesday that would raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour.

"“Raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do,” Santabarbara said in a statement. “Many hardworking people are struggling to provide the daily necessities for their families, so this boost would give them a little more, allowing them to live more comfortably and have money to spend at our local businesses.”

“Increasing the minimum wage is long overdue,” Steck said in a statement. “This measure provides a much-needed answer to the resounding call from Capital Region families who all agree that full-time minimum-wage workers shouldn’t be forced to live in poverty any longer.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a minimum wage increase in the state budget that would not be as high as what the Assembly passed.

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