Small business groups are opposing a hike in the state's minimum wage. Keeping up with increases at the federal level, the state's minimum wage would increase to $7.25 an hour a year from now. Bill G. Smith is State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business . "There are members who indicate that it makes some sense to conform with the federal wage increase," Smith said Wednesday, after testifying at a Department of Workforce Development public hearing on the matter. "But, this particular wage increase will impact the smallest of our small business community, because it will only impact those that have less than five hundred thousand in gross sales."
Smith maintains that procedure demands that DWD does some more work, before approving the increase: "Every rule that is proposed in Wisconsin that affects small business, the department is required to do an analysis of that impact on small business."
The state's Small Business Regulatory Review Board , which meets later this month. "We will be asking that they consider the impact on small business," said Smith. "If an exemption is appropriate, certainly we will support that." Also opposing the increase are Wisconsin Independent Businesses and the Wisconsin Merchants Federation . The state's largest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, does not oppose it.