Still, Atkinson stopped short of saying now that the minimum wage should be raised, preferring to wait until the study is finalized and presented to the governor and lawmakers. "I won't, at this point, make a recommendation," she said.

Lawmakers came up with some $50,000 to pay for the research, she said. "I think we've got some great, great information for that money," Atkinson said. "What I want is for everybody to look at all the data and look at it fairly."

For Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley and the head of the state's AFL-CIO, fair means finally passing the same bill he introduced during the 2006 Legislature to raise the minimum wage in Utah to $7.

"It would be an opportunity for the governor and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do what's right before the federal government does," Mayne said. "There's no question that we will have a new federal minimum wage. It's been promised by the blueing of America."

As a result of the November elections, 28 states nationwide have — or will soon have — a minimum wage that's higher than the federal rate. Recently approved rates range from $6.15 an hour in Nevada to as much as $8 an hour in California beginning in 2008.

Mayne said labor officials are being told Congress is looking at hiking the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour with built-in cost of living increases. An attempt to do just that earlier this year failed under the Republican-controlled Congress.

"There's certainly justifi- cation, seeing that six states this last election that had it on the ballot approved it," Mayne said, noting that four of those states — Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Montana — are in the same region as Utah.

Utah, he said, should already be among the states that pay workers above the minimum wage. "I just think what was done last session was pretty reprehensible in us not taking the lead."

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