The Vermont House is going against the wishes of Governor Peter Shumlin by calling for an increase in the state's minimum wage to $10.10 per hour starting in January, rather than 2017.
The House voted Tuesday against an amendment by Republican Representative Kurt Wright that would have conformed with the governor's wish to phase in the increase from Vermont's current minimum wage of $8.73 per hour, getting to $10.10 per hour by 2017.
The vote was 83 against with 63 in favor of the slower wage increase.
If the bill as it stands is passed and signed by Shumlin, it would make Vermont the first state in the country to break the $10 mark in its minimum wage. The bill still must pass the Senate before going to the governor.
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