Oregon Governor Supports Higher Minimum Wage

By Chris Lehman

Published April 17, 2015 at 4:10 PM PDT

Prior to becoming Oregon's governor, Kate Brown was elected as Oregon's secretary of state in 2008 and served in the state legislature for 17 years.

The debate over whether to raise Oregon's minimum wage could be headed to the ballot.

An advocacy group Friday filed paperwork for a possible initiative to appear on next year's statewide ballot. It would raise Oregon's base wage in three steps to reach $15 per hour by 2019.

Oregon lawmakers are considering a similar proposal in Salem but so far haven't acted on it.

Oregon's Democratic Governor, Kate Brown, said Friday that she does support a higher minimum wage, but she said she's unsure about two important details.

"The question is timing, making sure it doesn't harshly impact our currently growing economic recovery,” Brown said. “And the second is the amount."

Brown made her remarks in response to an audience question following her State of the State address Friday in Portland.

Efforts to raise the minimum wage in Washington state ran into legislative roadblocks this year. Activists are promising a ballot initiative in Washington next year, too.