The law is based on what Baltimore and other cities have already been doing, perhaps setting a new trend for other states.
Lawmakers gave final passage to the bill on the last day of the session, less than one week after legislative leaders and O'Malley hashed out an agreement to make the proposal palatable to some opponents. The bill, as revised, sets up two pay grades for the workers - at least $11.30 an hour in the Baltimore-Washington corridor and $8.50 an hour in rural areas.What seems fair to many comes as unwelcome news to business interests who complain of higher costs. Considering the excessive increases in executive pay it might be challenging finding a shoulder to cry on outside of boardrooms.
"It doesn't make them rich," said Sen. Thomas M. Middleton, a Charles County Democrat and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "We're just lifting them a little bit more out ... of poverty."
