Governor Martin O’Malley signed the “living wage” law today.

This new law establishes a minimum wage for employees working on state service contracts of over $100,000 at a level of $11.30 per hour in the six metropolitan counties and $8.50 per hour in the balance of the state.

The Maryland Chamber strongly opposed this bill. At a time when the state should be looking for efficiencies in government, this law creates significant new inefficiencies and costs. The law will cause unfair competition for state contracts by pitting region against region and non-profits against for-profit businesses. It requires agency procurement officers to pre-judge what region of the state will win a contract before the bids are even received.

Last week, we posted this summary of what you need to know about the bill. If you have any questions, contact Ron Wineholt at rwineholt@mdchamber.org.