#Coleg Notebook: Maximum fight for minimum wage

Minimum wage comes to the Capitol  

Advocates for raising the minimum wage to at least $12.50 an hour rallied on the Capitol steps today in support of two bills facing an uphill climb in the Republican-controlled Senate.

MinimumwagechartAccording to the above poll from Myers Research, two-thirds of voters support raising the minimum wage.

Not over a barrel yet 

Rep. Lori Saine, R-Firestone, plans to take her advocacy for the rain-barrel bill to the Senate. The bill would allow Coloradans to collect run-off from roofs for gardens. Saine was one of the few members in her caucus to support the bill, which she says is just common sense.

“It’s true conservation because it helps everyone,” said Saine, pointing out that water collected in rain barrels and used to water plants eventually ends up exactly where it was headed in the first place – just a little bit later.

For whom the test standardizes

Ricardo Martinez, left, chating at minimum wage protest.
Ricardo Martinez, left, chatting at minimum wage protest.

Not everyone wants to see standardized tests slashed. Activists from Padres and Jovenes Unidos arrived in force at the Capitol today not just to support raising the minimum wage but to support evaluations to ensure a minimum standard of education.

“We want to make sure all kids get access to a great education. And by all, we mean all,” said Ricardo Martinez, a director at Unidos. “We don’t want to have kids of color and poor kids getting lost in the mix. For us, evaluations are a way to measure that opportunity gap.”