LINCOLN, Neb., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- While the rest of the country debates $15 minimum wage, citizens in the state of Nebraska will vote on whether to raise the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 per hour.
Nebraska Secretary of State John Gail confirmed Friday that the petitioners supporting the ballot initiative had collected the requisite 80,386 signatures to put the minimum wage hike to vote in the fall.
"In this case, 89,817 signatures were verified which was more than enough to meet the threshold," said Gail in a statement.
Overall 134,899 signatures were collected.
If the measure passes, Nebraska's minimum wage will raise from the federal minimum $7.25 to $8 in 2015 and $9 in 2016.
Nebraska Republican nominee for governor Pete Ricketts openly opposes any raise to the state's minimum wage, while Democratic nominee Chuck Hassebrook says the hike necessary to keep people off of government assistance programs.
Read More
- Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg: I'll take the ice bucket challenge, and improve it
- Jay Adams, of 'Dogtown and Z-Boys,' dies of heart attack in Mexico
- Stock up now, Nutella prices could be going up after frost damaged hazelnut crop
- Al Gore sues Al Jazeera over $500 million Current TV sale that launched AJA
- Joe Piscopo ditches Democrats to become an Independent, cites problems in inner cities
