KZA’s Scott Abbott Interviewed On Minimum Wage

Managing Partner Scott Abbott of Kamer Zucker Abbott was recently interviewed for a Las Vegas Review-Journal article on Nevada’s rising minimum wage.

As you know, Nevada voters considered a minimum wage ballot question last week. State Question No. 2 proposed to amend Nevada’s Constitutional Minimum Wage Amendment to remove the two-tier minimum wage system. This two-tier system, which establishes different minimum wage rates based upon whether an employer provides its employees with a certain level of health benefits, has been in effect since 2006 when the Minimum Wage Amendment was first adopted. State Question No. 2 also proposed to establish a Constitutional minimum wage of $12.00 an hour as of July 1, 2024, and to give the Nevada Legislature the express ability to increase this rate in the future via a statute.

The Nevada Legislature had already established increases to the minimum wage up to 2024 during the 2019 Legislative Session. That law established increases to Nevada’s minimum wage on July 1, 2023, to $10.25/11.25 per hour and, on July 1, 2024, to $11.00/12.00 an hour. Now that State Ballot Question No. 2 has passed, these increases to Nevada’s minimum wage will still happen – the difference is that on July 1, 2024, all employers will pay $12.00 an hour without regard to whether they provide health benefits because the 2-tier system ends on July 1, 2024.

As Scott mentioned, however, Nevada’s minimum wage will not be frozen at $12.00 an hour after 2024. Instead, it will increase if the federal minimum wage goes above $12.00 an hour or if the Nevada Legislature passes a law increasing the state minimum wage beyond the $12.00 established in the State’s Constitution. As such, in the future Nevada employers will need to keep an eye on the federal minimum wage and Nevada’s biennial legislative sessions.

As always, KZA will continue to monitor this important issue and will notify you of any proposed changes to the minimum wage in upcoming legislative sessions. If you have questions about Nevada’s minimum wage or State Question No. 2, please contact a KZA attorney.

KZA Employer Report articles are for general information only; they are not intended and should not be construed to be legal advice. Reading or replying to such articles does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In addition, because the subject matters and applicable laws discussed in Employer Report articles are often in a state of change and not always applicable to every type of business entity or organization, readers should consult with counsel before making decisions based on the same.