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Law increases minimum wage in Howard County to $16 over the next four-years

St. Louis cutting minimum wage from $10 to $7.70
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ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Those working in Howard County will officially start seeing their hourly minimum wage gradually increase over the next four years.

On Tuesday, the Howard County Council voted 4-1 to pass Council Bill 82-2021.

The legislation calls for employers in the county to raise the minimum wage from the current $11.75 per hour to $14 as of April 1, 2022.

That hourly amount will increase again to $15, come January 1, 2023 and then to $16 beginning January 1, 2025.

The breakdown is slightly different for non-profit, home health services, and restaurants.

Minimum wage pay raises will start with $13 per hour on April 1, 2022, and increase an additional $1 every January 1 through the year 2026.

For County government employees, they will begin making a minimum $15 an hour starting July 1, 2022 and then up to $16 in 2024.

According to the Maryland Center for Economic Policy, the new law will benefit one in four employees in Howard County, equating to 40,000 workers.