Minimum wage best decided by Alaska voters

This editorial originally appeared in the Friday edition of the Juneau Empire.

Allow us to channel Nancy Reagan for a moment: Just say “No,” Alaska Legislature.

(Last) week, we watched as the Alaska House moved closer to passing House Bill 384, which would boost Alaska’s minimum wage and tie further increases to the rate of inflation.

This is a bad idea, but not for the reason you’re thinking. First, a history lesson (and a reminder of why history is important, so tell your kids).

In 2002, the Alaska Legislature, full of vim, vigor and empty promises, passed a minimum wage bill. This bill increased the minimum wage and tied future increases to the rate of inflation.

Coincidentally, Alaska voters in October 2001 had gained enough signatures to put the exact same minimum wage measure on the fall 2002 ballot.

Article 11, Chapter 4 of the Alaska Constitution states: “If, before the election, substantially the same measure has been enacted (by the Legislature), the petition is void.”

Laws enacted by the initiative effort cannot be modified for at least two years. But laws changed by the Legislature can be changed at any point. In 2003, one year after passing the minimum wage bill, legislators went back and stripped the inflation-proofing from the bill they approved the year before.

It was a cynical political move. Many of the same politicians who voted for the increase in 2002 were the ones who turned around in 2003. Some later said they only did so to kill the voter initiative.

If you’ve been following the news lately, you might be feeling a sense of déjà vu.

On Feb. 26, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell certified a ballot initiative that, if passed by voters in the Aug. 19 state primary election, would raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation. Now, the Legislature is considering legislation that, if passed, would nullify the ballot initiative through the “substantially same” clause of the constitution.

Fool us once, shame on them. Fool us twice, and it’s our fault for not seeing the pattern.

Between 2002 and 2003, 17 Alaska legislators changed their views on the inflation-proofing portion of the minimum wage bill: seven senators and 10 representatives.

Four of those legislators are still in the Capitol: Speaker of the House Mike Chenault, Sen. Lesil McGuire (served in the House in 2002 and 2003), Sen. Kevin Meyer (served in the House in 2002 and 2003) and Sen. Gary Stevens (was in the House in 2002 and in the Senate in 2003).

Seven others serving today were in office in 2002 and 2003, but they didn’t change their votes between 2002 and 2003.

It may be naïve to ask our legislators to vote their true beliefs and not hide them in a political maneuver, but that’s exactly what we’re asking.

Legislators should not cancel a vote of the people because they fear the result. All we ask is that they do nothing.