The Democrat-controlled House of Delegates approved passage
87-47 and sent the bill to Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley,
who had made the measure a priority.
Maryland's entry-level wage is $7.25 an hour and was last raised
in 2006. The bill would raise it in stages to $10.10 in July
2018.
Connecticut last month raised its minimum wage to $10.10 by
2017, setting the highest U.S. state rate.
"Maryland's important action is a reminder that many states,
cities and counties — as well as a majority of the American
people — are way ahead of Washington on this crucial issue,"
Obama said in a statement.
Obama has pushed Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to
$10.10 an hour, from $7.25, after nearly half of states and the
District of Columbia raised theirs. The Republican-controlled
House of Representatives has rejected his call.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; editing by Scott Malone and James Dalgleish)
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