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Hinkle, Warnick sit down
with local small business
Getting more young adults in the workforce highlights discussion
State Reps. Bill Hinkle,
R-Cle Elum, and Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, recently sat down with the
Moses Lake small business community to discuss ideas that will help the
13th District lawmakers prepare for the 2008 legislative session.
During the discussion many small business owners stressed the importance
of removing government red tape so young adults could enter the workforce.
“High school students are looking for valuable work experience, money
for college and the opportunity to make an honest dollar,” explains
Hinkle. “At the same time, small business looks to these students to
fill a valuable role in the workforce. The problem is government red
tape is making it too difficult for such an easy process to work.”
During the meeting, business owners stated that a 50 percent increase in
the minimum wage over the last seven years has contributed significantly
to the reduction in the teenage workforce. Since 2002, the number of
teenage workers has dropped 12 to 15 percent.
“It is concerning that so many teenagers do not have access to the
workforce because the state is forcing small business to pay the highest
minimum wage in the country,” says Warnick. “Receiving a paycheck is a
rewarding experience that the state should be encouraging, not limiting.
If we can get more young adults working part-time jobs, those
individuals will not be inclined to join gangs and engage in criminal
activity.”
Hinkle and Warnick will share the concerns of small business owners with
fellow lawmakers when the 2008 legislative session convenes in January.
Rep. Hinkle can be
contacted at (509) 933-1238 or hinkle.bill@leg.wa.gov.
Rep. Warnick can be contacted (509) 766-6505 or
warnick.judith@leg.wa.gov.
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For more information, contact:
Mike Deising, Public
Information Officer - (360) 786-7698 or
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
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