A petition drive is officially underway to put an initiated measure on next year’s ballot that would raise the minimum wage. The drive, organized by the state Democratic Party and labor groups, would raise the wage from the current seven twenty five an hour to eight fifty, and index it to inflation. Dave Owen, President of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says the minimum wage should be set at the federal level……
Owen says the effects of the minimum wage, good and bad, are limited……
Owen says he doesn’t think the petition drive would have much of an effect on business development…
Owen says the legislature will also have a chance to debate the issue before next year’s election.
Petition backers have to get about sixteen thousand signatures to the Secretary of State by November 4th.