ST. PAUL - Minnesota lawmakers see two different worlds when they look at North Dakota wages.
Some want Minnesota workers to get higher wages than paid in their neighbor to the west. Some say that a higher minimum wage would hurt efforts to attract business.
In a way, both won Monday when the House voted to increase the minimum wage $1 an hour starting in August. That is 85 cents less than senators ap-proved earlier and than House Democrats sought, but all sides agree it appears the current $5.15 hourly minimum wage will increase for the first time since 1997.
North Dakota played a big role in debate rhetoric.
"North Dakota is hemorrhaging population," House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, DFL-St. Paul, said in arguing for a larger minimum wage increase. "The best and brightest are moving here."
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North Dakota's minimum wage also is $5.15, the same as Minnesota's current law sets. Entenza and others said that is not enough.
"Thank God we have not emulated North Dakota," Entenza said.
Rep. Paul Marquart, DFL-Dilworth, agreed with his party leader. He said Minnesota's strength lies in its ability to attract new workers and provide incentives that can't be matched by neighboring states.
"I don't want North Dakota and South Dakota's quality of life," Marquart said. "If we settle for that, we settle for less."
Marquart said that if lawmakers are concerned about economic development in rural Minnesota they should increase local government aid along with a minimum wage hike. Opponents of the wage hike said it would endanger small-town businesses.
On the other hand, a higher minimum wage means Minnesota border communities have a harder time attracting business, according to Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead.
Fargo adds a restaurant a week, Lanning told fellow lawmakers, while it is hard for Moorhead to land one.
"This is a particularly sensitive subject to a person from a border community," Lanning said.
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A bill to increase North Dakota's minimum wage failed the House in January. HB 1382 would have raised the $5.15 hourly wage to $6.50 over two years.
North Dakota Labor Commissioner Leann Bertsch said the state has historically followed the federal minimum wage. She did not believe an increase in Minnesota's minimum wage would cause the state to increase its rate, or affect North Dakota employees or employers.
"Really, I don't know that there are very many people who are paid $5.15 anymore," she said.
Marty Aas, area director for Job Service North Dakota, agreed any change would have minimal impact. He said few jobs in the Fargo area pay minimum wage.
South Dakota also got its share of debate time Monday in Minnesota.
"As you float toward the South Dakota border and get into those smaller towns, those bowling alleys and restaurants and bars and small businesses on Main Street are barely hanging in there," said Rep. Marty Seifert, R-Marshall. "People will only pay so much for a hamburger and french fries in a town of 300 people."
Rep. Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls, said when business budgets are tight and government mandates a wage increase, employers are sometimes forced to let workers go.
The vote was 84-50, with 18 Republicans joining all the chamber's Democrats in supporting the boost - though only after Republicans were able to force several changes to make the increase smaller than what Democrats wanted. Area Republicans to vote for the increase were Reps. Nornes, Dean Simpson of New York Mills and Torrey Westrom of Elbow Lake.
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Supporters did agree to several compromises with Republicans - mainly in order to pass a bill that Gov. Tim Pawlenty is willing to sign. Indeed, Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said the governor thinks the House bill is reasonable and he's willing to sign it.
St. Paul Democrat Ellen Anderson, the bill's chief Senate author, predicted a minimum wage bill will pass before the legislative session ends on May 23.
