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H 485

An act relating to granting State employees in the Executive Branch and Judiciary the right to strike

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Conor Casey

Idaho H 485 raises the state minimum wage to 12.00 (2025), 15.00 (2026), and 17.00 (2027) with annual CPI indexing starting 2028, and preempts local wage higher standards.

Read first time and referred to the Committee on General and Housing
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Bill Summary · H 485

Summary — H 485 (Idaho) — Minimum Wage Increase and Related Amendments

Note: The document package includes unrelated materials from a Massachusetts House docket (also labeled "No. 485"). This summary focuses on the Idaho House Bill No. 485 (sponsored by Rep. Achilles), which is the operative text in the provided bill document.

Purpose

H 485 amends Idaho Code §44-1502 to raise state minimum wages (regular and tipped), set an annual cost‑of‑living adjustment starting in 2028, revise several tipped‑wage and youth‑worker provisions, prohibit localities from setting higher minimums, and make the act effective July 1, 2025 via an emergency clause.

Key provisions (specific changes)

  • Base minimum wage schedule:
    • $12.00 per hour, effective July 1, 2025
    • $15.00 per hour, effective July 1, 2026
    • $17.00 per hour, effective July 1, 2027
  • Tipped minimum wage schedule:
    • $6.00 per hour, effective July 1, 2025
    • $7.00 per hour, effective July 1, 2026
    • $8.00 per hour, effective July 1, 2027
  • Tip handling and employer obligations:
    • Tips actually received are counted toward meeting the minimum wage; if direct wages plus tips do not equal the minimum, the employer must make up the difference.
    • Employer bears the burden to demonstrate the amount of tips received if disputed.
    • Amounts an employee shares with others via tip pooling are not considered tips “actually received” for this purpose.
  • Youth/subminimum wage:
    • Employers may pay employees under age 20 a subminimum of $4.25 per hour for the first 90 consecutive calendar days of initial employment.
    • Employers may not displace existing employees (including reducing hours, wages, or benefits) to hire at this subminimum.
  • Preemption and local authority:
    • No political subdivision (city/county) may adopt minimum wages higher than those established by this statute.
  • Indexing:
    • Beginning July 1, 2028, the minimum wage and tipped minimum will be adjusted annually by the year‑over‑year change in the CPI‑U (consumer price index for all urban consumers), measured February-to-February; adjustments rounded to the nearest $0.05.
    • The Idaho Department of Labor director must calculate and publish the adjusted wage by April 15 each year.
  • Emergency clause:
    • Declares an emergency; the act takes effect July 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • Idaho workers (hourly employees), including tipped workers and employees under 20.
  • Employers operating in Idaho (private sector and public employers not exempted by statute).
  • Local governments (preempted from setting higher minimums).
  • Idaho Department of Labor (responsible for CPI calculations and publication).

Fiscal note summary

  • The attached proponent fiscal note asserts the wage increases would raise state tax revenues, reduce reliance on safety‑net programs (net General Fund increase), and produce broader economic benefits. The document is marked as a proponent‑prepared SOP/FN and includes a disclaimer that it does not constitute legislative intent.

Procedural status & timeline

  • Introduced: April 3, 2025 (sponsor: Achilles)
  • Read first time and referred to Committee on General and Housing (same day).
  • Hearing scheduled: June 5, 2025 (11:00 AM–1:00 PM) in room A‑2 (per legislative actions list).
  • Emergency effective date stated in text: July 1, 2025.

Notes / Caveats

  • The bill text contains language that references “shall conform to, and track with, the federal minimum wage” but then specifies fixed state rates for 2025–2027 and a CPI‑based indexing schedule thereafter; implementation should be read according to the explicit numeric schedule and indexing clause.
  • Some metadata and docket entries included in the materials pertain to a different jurisdiction (Massachusetts) and a different subject; they are not part of Idaho H 485.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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