COLUMBUS — Ohio’s attorney general has approved the next step of a proposal to amend the state constitution to raise the minimum wage.
UPDATE: This article has been edited to correct an error in the statement of the current state minimum wage from $8.55 to $8.70 per hour.
The amendment calls for annual boosts in the minimum wage until it hits $13 an hour in 2025.
The current Ohio minimum wage is $8.70 an hour.
Attorney General David Yost on Monday said the initial petition contains a “fair and truthful” summary of the proposal.
Yost also determined the petition’s 1,000 signatures were valid.
The proposed amendment goes next to the Ohio Ballot Board for further consideration.
Backers hope to put the amendment on the November ballot.
Once cleared by the Ballot Board, supporters must collect signatures from at least half of the state’s 88 counties equal to 5 percent of the total vote cast in the county for governor at the last gubernatorial election. Signatures collected statewide must also equal 10% of the total vote cast for the office of governor.