(SitNews) Anchorage, Alaska - Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell certified the citizen initiative (13MINW) application on Monday to raise the minimum wage in Alaska. The lieutenant governor notified the primary sponsor of the petition, Ed Flanagan.

The lieutenant governor signed the certificate after consultation with the Division of Elections, which determined the application included a sufficient number of sponsor signatures, and the Department of Law, which concluded that the proposed bill is in the proper form under Article XI of the Alaska Constitution and AS 15.45.

The initiative calls for a minimum wage increase to $8.75 as of January 1, 2015 and $9.75 as of January 1, 2016.  After 2016, the initiative establishes that the minimum wage shall be adjusted for inflation on an annual basis and that the minimum wage shall remain at least $1.00 higher than the federal minimum wage. The ballot initiative replaces the current minimum wage in Alaska, which under AS 23.10.065(a) is set at $.50 higher than the federal minimum wage, which makes it $7.75 at present.

The Division of Elections will prepare and print sequentially numbered petition booklets to allow full circulation throughout the state.  Each petition will contain (1) a copy of the proposed bill; (2) an impartial summary of the subject matter of the bill; (3) a statement of minimum costs to the state associated with certification of the initiative application and review of the initiative petition; (4) an estimate of the cost to the state of implementing the proposed law; (5) the statement of warning prescribed in AS 15.45.100; (6) sufficient space for the personal information and signatures of each person signing the petition; and (7) other specifications that the lieutenant governor decides would ensure proper handling and control.  

The initiative petition must be filed within one year from the date notice is given that the petition booklets are ready for delivery.  The petition must be signed by qualified voters (1) equal in number to 10 percent of those who voted in the preceding general election; (2) resident in at least three-fourths of the house districts of the state; and (3) who, in each of those house districts, are equal in number to at least seven percent of those who voted in the preceding general election in the house district. Based on the 2012 General Election, sponsors will need to gather a total of 30,169 signatures from qualified voters consistent with the foregoing requirements.

On the Web:

Final certification documents are available online.

The official certificate (pdf)

The letter to the sponsor (pdf)

The estimate of costs to the State of Alaska for the implementation of the initiative (pdf)

The petition statistics report prepared by the Division of Elections (pdf)

The Attorney General opinion regarding the application (pdf)

Source of News: 

Office of Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell
www.ltgov.state.ak.us

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