SENATE BILL 285

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2014

INTRODUCED BY

Clemente Sanchez

 

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

RELATING TO LABOR; RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE; PROVIDING EXCEPTIONS.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. Section 50-4-22 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1955, Chapter 200, Section 3, as amended) is amended to read:

     "50-4-22. MINIMUM WAGES.--

          A. An employer shall pay an employee the minimum wage rate of [six dollars fifty cents ($6.50)] eight dollars ($8.00) an hour [As of January 1, 2009, an employer shall pay the minimum wage rate of seven dollars fifty cents ($7.50) an hour.], except that an employer employing:

                (1) ten or fewer employees shall pay an employee the minimum wage rate of no less than seven dollars fifty cents ($7.50) an hour; and

                (2) a trainee employee shall pay the trainee employee a minimum wage rate of no less than seven dollars fifty cents ($7.50) an hour during the training period but for no longer than six months from the date of hire.

          B. Nothing in Subsection A of this section shall be construed to authorize or require an employer to lower the hourly wage of an employee.

          [B.] C. An employer furnishing food, utilities, supplies or housing to an employee who is engaged in agriculture may deduct the reasonable value of such furnished items from any wages due to the employee.

          [C.] D. An employee who customarily and regularly receives more than thirty dollars ($30.00) a month in tips shall be paid a minimum hourly wage of two dollars thirteen cents ($2.13). The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the tips combined with the employer's cash wage shall not equal less than the minimum wage rate as provided in Subsection A of this section. All tips received by such employees shall be retained by the employee, except that nothing in this section shall prohibit the pooling of tips among employees.

          [D.] E. An employee shall not be required to work more than forty hours in any week of seven days, unless the employee is paid one and one-half times the employee's regular hourly rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of forty hours. For an employee who is paid a fixed salary for fluctuating hours and who is employed by an employer a majority of whose business in New Mexico consists of providing investigative services to the federal government, the hourly rate may be calculated in accordance with the provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the regulations pursuant to that act; provided that in no case shall the hourly rate be less than the federal minimum wage."

     SECTION 2. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is January 1, 2015.

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