The Nevada Assembly passed AJR 10 and AB 456, bills which would raise the state’s minimum wage floor. AJR 10 would remove language from the state constitution that establishes a two-tier pay system. AB 456, would establish a yearly 75 cent increase in the minimum wage until it reaches $12 per hour. The first such increase would occur on January 1, 2020. Currently, Nevada’s minimum wage is $7.25 if the employer provides some level of health care coverage. If a health care plan is not provided, the Nevada Constitution requires employers to pay an extra $1 for each non-overtime hour of work, which raises the minimum pay rate to $8.25. AJR10 constitutionally eliminates this two-tier system, and it establishes a $12 per hour minimum wage that would be effective beginning July 1, 2024. Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, the bill’s primary sponsor says raising the minimum wage will positively impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of Nevadans. No republican voted for the wage increase.