(Santa Fe, NM) – The Legislature has passed Senate Bill 35, sponsored by Senator Jeff Steinborn, to eliminate the lower minimum wage for high school age citizens. If signed into law, eligible young workers would receive the same minimum wage as other New Mexico workers. The bill now heads to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for her consideration.
Senate Bill 35 eliminates two provisions in law, one that creates a lower minimum wage of $8.50 an hour for students enrolled in secondary school (high school), and another that exempts people 18 years old and younger who are not enrolled in school from being included in the legal definition of an “employee,” and hence being qualified for New Mexico’s minimum wage.
Steinborn applauded the legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 35. “I thank the legislature for passing this important bill. Eliminating the lower minimum wage for younger workers is about providing equal pay for equal work. Our young people work hard alongside their older coworkers and deserve to be compensated fairly for their time and hard work. They are also often providers for their families and so removing this unequal treatment is just the right thing to do.”
New Mexico’s minimum wage is currently $10.50 an hour.