FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 22, 2016 INTERVIEWS: Tom Jensen 919-744-6312 IF YOU HAVE BASIC METHODOLOGICAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE E-MAIL
[email protected], OR CONSULT THE FINAL PARAGRAPH OF THE PRESS RELEASE Marylanders Want Legislature to Go Further on Minimum Wage; Baltimore Voters Back Proposed $15/Hour Law Raleigh, N.C. – Despite Maryland being one of the first states in the nation to increase its minimum wage to over $10/hour just two years ago, voters in the state are ready for another raise. A 58% majority favors increasing the state minimum wage – which is currently set to peak at $10.10 per hour by 2018 – to either $12/hour or $15/hour. 73% of Democrats and 57% of independents support the raise, and 60% of Republicans either agree with an additional boost or are in favor of the $10/hour plan signed into law by former Democratic Governor and Presidential candidate Martin O’Malley. Support for a second raise is most fervent among voters in Baltimore, where the City Council is expected to vote on a proposed citywide wage increase to $15/hour this month. 57% of Baltimoreans favor joining cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle in increasing the city wage floor to $15/hour, while 79% back an increase to either $12/hour or $15/hour. When it comes to other major national issues, Maryland is consistent with its label as one of the most liberal states in the country. 75% of Marylanders support the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan for regulating emissions from power plants, including 86% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans.