Bryan Corbin, Evansville Courier & Press
INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana House of Representatives has just voted to increase the state minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.50 an hour.
The conclusive third-reading vote today came after about 30 minutes of debate on the House floor. The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
The vote was 71-29. State Rep. Suzanne Crouch, R-Evansville, voted no; other Southwest Indiana legislators voted yes.
The bill garnered some support from House Republicans because of unrelated wording that was attached last week, which expanded the exemption from Indiana's inheritance tax from $100,000 to $200,000.
During House debate this afternoon, several legislators said that they were voting either to support the minimum-wage increase or the inheritance-tax cut, but not necessarily both.
An attempt today to separate the two unrelated concepts into two bills failed.
As the bill passed, House members applauded bill author state Rep. John Day, D-Indianapolis, who has pushed for the minimum-wage legislation year after year, only to see it defeated.