New Mexico governor proposes raising minimum wage statewide

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is pushing for a higher minimum wage.

The Democrat said Tuesday during her State of the State address that more than 110,000 New Mexicans make $7.50 an hour. She called that a “poverty wage.”

She proposed raising the wage to $10 an hour now and then moving to $12 and establishing an index to inflation.

For state workers, she’s calling for tiered raises, so those who currently earn the least will see 4 percent raises. The minimum wage for state employees would rise to $12 an hour beginning July 1 under her plan.

Like her predecessor, Lujan Grisham voiced support for the state’s Local Economic Development Act as a way to invest in entrepreneurs and businesses. She wants to double the funding.