The State of the Union address always gets people talking, and President Obama’s call to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour certainly did the trick.

Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25. It’s been that way since 2009. That rate applies to federal employees and to anyone protected by the Fair Labor Standards Act. But many states and some cities also set their own minimum-wage levels that are higher than the federal baseline.

As business, economic, and legal experts debate the pros and cons of a $9-an-hour federal minimum wage, here are nine issues you’ll want to keep in mind:

Related Resources:

  • Raising minimum wage would bolster recovery: Obama (Reuters)
  • When You Don’t Have to Pay Minimum Wage (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise)
  • SF Minimum Wage Over $10, Highest in U.S. (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise)

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