The increase in New Jersey’s minimum wage is one of the most significant legislative actions taken by lawmakers in recent years. It’s also a good way to illustrate how the Legislature works.
In the latest episode, NJ Spotlight News’ multimedia series “Gotta Know Jersey” explains how the state’s base hourly wage for most workers has doubled over the last decade and will reach $15.13, one of the highest in the nation, on Jan. 1.
It was the Democratic-led Legislature that 10 years ago played a critical role in initially boosting the minimum wage when it put the matter to the voters over the objections of then-Gov. Chris Christie. The Legislature then in 2019 further raised the amount with annual inflationary increases.
This fifth video in the “Gotta Know Jersey” series shows that actions taken by state lawmakers can have a major impact on the lives of New Jersey residents, even though voters continued this year to mostly ignore the elections in which state Senate and Assembly seats topped the balloting.
Students typically learn about state history and government in elementary school. This latest video, like others in the series, provides a refresher for lifelong residents and seeks to answer questions New Jerseyans of any age might have about how the legislative process works in the state.
The first four videos in the “Gotta Know Jersey” series explain the importance of this year’s elections, how to register and vote, who makes up the Legislature, and how a bill becomes a law.
The final video in the coming weeks will explain how the legislative process sometimes goes awry and answer the question, “What’s a lame duck?”
The “Gotta Know Jersey” series is available on NJ Spotlight News’ YouTube channel. There viewers can subscribe to the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel for more.
The “Gotta Know Jersey” team is Katherine Crist, Julie Daurio, Madeline Ference, Sophie Leigh Fisher, Laura Galarza, Nicholas Hernandez and Colleen O’Dea, with additional help from Harrison Malkin, Genesis Obando and Michael Sol Warren.
