Amendment 70, Raising The State Minimum Wage Explained

Amendment 70 would raise Colorado's minimum wage for most workers from its current level of $8.31/hr to $12/hr by 2020. The increase would happen in four stages:

January 1, 2017: $9.30 per hour
January 1, 2018: $10.20 per hour
January 1, 2019: $11.10 per hour
January 1, 2020: $12.00 per hour

Wages for tipped employees would increase from $5.29 per hour now to $8.98 per hour in 2020.

A “yes” vote means you support raising the state’s minimum wage.

Colorado's minimum wage already adjusts annually based on the Denver-Boulder-Greeley Consumer Price Index, and those adjustments would continue from 2021 onward. However, Amendment 70 would prevent the minimum wage from decreasing during times of deflation, something which occurred in 2010, when the wage declined four cents.

Under current Colorado state law, local governments are not allowed to set a minimum wage different from the state's, and that prohibition would continue under Amendment 70.

Colorado voters last approved a minimum wage increase in 2006, raising it from $5.15 to $6.85.

Should Colorado raise its minimum wage? Tell us your thoughts. Just text the word Hello to 720-358-4029 or submit this brief form.