 The senator from Bloomington would not commit to cutting the state
rate -- which will go to $8.25 an hour on Thursday -- suggesting the
federal level of $7.25 might go up and he would freeze the Illinois
rate.
When asked if he would propose rolling it back to the federal level,
Brady, who is facing Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in the fall election,
said, "I would support equaling, adopting the federal minimum wage,
yes."
Quinn has applauded the wage hike, saying earlier this week that he
"fought hard to increase the minimum wage in our state."
"It's going to be a raise for a lot of hardworking people in our
state," Quinn said.
Brady said the minimum wage should be uniform across the nation so
that states with lower rates don't steal jobs away from Illinois.
"Illinois has got to be a competitive state to live, work and do
business," Brady said at a stop in Springfield. "The federal level
is a competitive level, competing with neighboring states."
[to top of second column]
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Each state bordering Illinois has a minimum wage equal to the
federal level, according to the Illinois Department of Labor.
Since 2007, the minimum wage in Illinois has increased 27 percent,
from $6.50, after a Democratic-controlled Legislature and governor
adopted a four-year process that upped the state wage by 25 cents
each year. This year's bump is the final step.
[Associated Press]
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