Sen. Tom Hatch, R-Panguitch, said it is "hard to believe" that companies are paying only minimum wage. He said he represents one of the state's poorest counties, but many people there are earning $8 to $10 per hour for what many would consider minimum-wage jobs. He wondered if many minimum-wage-earners are people working only a few hours a day while also attending college. Atkinson said wage levels can vary due to market conditions. Many people in Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County start at a minimum wage and are still there a year later, she said.

At Hatch's behest, Atkinson said she will get names of companies paying minimum wage.

Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley, said employers paying above the minimum wage should be "offended" by those who do not. He noted that it results in a "shift in the tax burden."

"If a family making the minimum wage qualified for all the government-, taxpayer-, businesspayer-subsidized programs, that would add up to $16,000 annually," Mayne said. "Well, who pays that? That's every taxpayer in the state of Utah, every business, that is supporting businesses that aren't paying their fair share."

Mayne said he will file two wage-related bills. One calls for the $7-per-hour minimum. The other, used if the first one is unsuccessful, would put the matter to a public vote in 2006.

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