Legislation to boost New Jersey's minimum wage, which passed the state Senate, could face final passage as early as Thursday, according to the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. If adopted, the bill would boost the state's current $5.15 per hour minimum wage to $6.15 on Oct. 1 and then to $7.15 on Oct. 1, 2006. It also would establish a permanent "New Jersey Minimum Wage Advisory Commission," which would study and make recommendations on the state's minimum wage. Acting Gov. Richard Codey proposed passage of a wage hike during his state of the state address earlier this month. A hike over two years to $7.15 would help more than 200,000 of the state's workers, Codey said. But NJBIA Vice President John Rogers argues it could result in layoffs, reductions in workers' hours and benefit cuts by firms needing to compensate for the higher wages. "What good is it to provide a person with a $2 per hour increase if their hours are reduced? Make no mistake about it, increasing the minimum wage is not a panacea for the lowest paid of our society," Rogers said in testimony before the General Assembly's Labor Committee. New Jersey's minimum wage has increased only once in 13 years. The last increase, which was 10 cents, came in 1999, said the Fairness Alliance, a group of 100 organizations supporting the proposed hike.  [more]