Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently voted against a dangerous, job-killing measure to raise the minimum wage both now and on an automatic escalator in the future. The bill seeks to raise the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour, the second highest rate in the nation, and includes annual increases tied to the rate of inflation. According to the Business Council of New York State, Inc., the measure would increase total payroll costs per-employee by roughly $4,063 annually. Hawley listed a number of glaring problems with the bill, particularly its impact on the local agricultural industry.

“This legislation is a poorly thought-out plan that will force businesses to eliminate jobs and pass the increase in the cost of doing business down to the consumer,” said Hawley. “The agricultural industry will be particularly devastated by this measure, which will wreak havoc on our local economy. If we want to help low-income families, we should be investing in the Earned Income Tax Credit rather than passing job-killing laws. This is not the way to show the world that New York is open for business. Rather, this is another example of the disconnect between downstate, where the plan was hatched, and Upstate, where the damage will be the most severe. Now, more than ever, we should be looking into my legislation that would let the public decide if New York should be split into two separate states.”