1. State minimum wages increasing in 24 states in 2020
2. Looking at each state’s 2019 holiday decorations
3. Massachusetts changes 2020 primary date to Sept. 1

State minimum wages increasing in 24 states in 2020 

Welcome to 2020! I hope you had a wonderful end to 2019.

Residents in 24 states and Washington, D.C. will see a minimum wage increase in 2020. The increases range from $0.10 per hour—in Florida—to $1.50 per hour.  

In eight states, the minimum wage will increase due to inflation or changes in the cost-of-living index. Minimum wages in 10 states and D.C. will increase due to state laws that contain scheduled increases, and they will increase in six states due to citizen-initiated measures that include specific increases.

Here are four facts about minimum wages in 2020:

• Three jurisdictions will see minimum wage increases of $1.50 per hour in 2020. New Mexico’s minimum wage will go to $9.00, Washington’s to $13.50, and certain New York City employees will see an increase to $15.00—which is the highest level in 2020 based on state law.

• New York and Oregon provide for regional minimum wages. The highest statewide minimum wages in 2020 are $13.50 per hour in Washington and $13.00 in California.

• The average statewide minimum wage in 2020 is approximately $9.17 per hour, which is up from $8.68 in 2019. 

• The lowest minimum wages based on state law are $5.15 per hour in Georgia and Wyoming, which is lower than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Twenty-one states use the federal minimum wage rate.

There were no statewide ballot measures related to minimum wages in 2019. Legislation to increase state minimum wages were approved by state legislatures and signed into law in five states—Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, and New Mexico. All five were Democratic trifectas in 2019.  

One measure, a $15 per hour minimum wage initiative in Florida, has already been certified for the 2020 ballot. Potential measures designed to increase minimum wages in Arizona and Idaho and a measure to prohibit local minimum wage increases in Missouri have been filed targeting 2020 ballots.

Learn more

       

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Looking at each state’s 2019 holiday decorations 

After yesterday’s start to the New Year, many people start to take down their seasonal decorations. This includes state government employees, some of whom will be returning their offices back to pre-holiday decor in the coming weeks. With so many Ballotpedia employees located in different states, a number of us got to talking and wondered: How does each state treat its official holiday or Christmas tree? Do they even have one? What do they call it? 

In 37 states, the official name for the tree or trees in the state capitol or governor's mansion was Christmas Tree. In five states—Colorado, New York, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin—the tree or trees were called Holiday Trees. In nine states and the District of Columbia, information about the tree was unavailable or it was described using some other name—such as The Grand Tree in Oregon or the State House Tree in Vermont.

States displayed 23 different varieties of trees. Blue Spruce was the most common, used in five different states. There were also other types of spruces, such as Sitka Spruce and Norway Spruce. Eleven states displayed fir trees of seven different varieties. Two states—Wyoming and Rhode Island—used artificial trees. Some states—such as Texas and Missouri—featured multiple trees of different varieties.

California had the largest official tree, a 66-foot White Fir. Michigan was second with a 61-foot Blue Spruce and third was a 40-foot Balsam Fir in Vermont. The average tree height of the 27 states for which we found published measurements was 28.5 feet.

Ballotpedia identified at least 19 states that featured a state-sanctioned event or project surrounding the tree. Examples included ornaments created by students and/or seniors, cards and donations by guests, photos of veterans, official tree-lighting events, and musical performances by students.

Ballotpedia’s analysis is based on official press releases issued by the states or governors' offices, Tweets by governors, names used on state websites, and phone conversations with state government representatives.

Go dig deeper at the link below and explore everything we found about how state governments treat their holiday festivities.

Massachusetts changes 2020 primary date to Sept. 1

The beginning of the New Year ushers in a busy election period, with the first presidential nominating event—the Iowa caucuses—taking place in 32 days on Feb. 3. States are also finalizing their calendars for this year’s elections for congressional, executive and legislative offices.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (R) signed a supplemental appropriations bill into law last month—on Dec. 13—changing the state’s primary election date federal and state-level offices from Sept. 15 to Sept. 1. Massachusetts' presidential preference primary will still be held on March 3.

The state’s candidate filing deadlines—May 5 for local offices and June 2 for congressional and state offices—remain unchanged.  

Under the previous schedule, Massachusetts—along with Delaware—would have held the last primaries of the 2020 cycle. After this change, three states will hold their primaries after the Bay State—New Hampshire and Rhode Island on September 8 and Delaware on September 15. 

You can find the complete list of each state’s primary elections and candidate filing deadlines by clicking the link below.

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