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(KSL News) -- Increasing the minimum wage could help reduce the number of people on public assistance by almost a fifth.
Currently Utah's minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, or $10- thousand a year.
A proposal to go before the legislature would raise the minimum to seven-dollars an hour, or just over $14,500 a year.
According to worker advocates, the raise could lead to more people living above the poverty level, making them ineligible for public aid.
Some lawmakers say the move is not necessary, that few employers actually pay minimum wage to full-time workers.
