A bill has been proposed in the New Jersey Legislature that would increase the state minimum wage to $8.50 per hour beginning on July 1, 2012.

If enacted, New Jersey's minimum wage would be the third highest in the nation, behind only Washington and Oregon, and New Jersey would become only the second state in the region to establish an automatic-wage-increase index. This proposal would put the state at a further competitive disadvantage with its counterparts in 30 other states.

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