Welcome to the first Weekly Brew of 2024! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season.
Each week, we bring you a collection of the most viewed stories from The Daily Brew, condensed.
Here are the top stories from the week of January 2-January 5.
The minimum wage will increase an average of $.86 in 25 states this year
On Jan. 1, the minimum wage increased in 22 states. Minimum wages in Oregon and Nevada will rise on July 1. Florida’s will increase on Sept. 30.
From 1996 to 2022, there were 28 minimum wage increase measures on the ballot. Voters approved 26 (92.86%) and rejected two (7.14%). The last time voters rejected a minimum wage increase was in 1996, when voters defeated measures in Missouri and Montana.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in nine cases in January
As of writing, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) had agreed to hear 53 cases during its 2023-2024 term. On average, the court heard 69 each year from 2016-2022. Since 2017, the Court has agreed to hear an average of 16 additional cases between December and the end of the term.
In its 2022 term, SCOTUS considered 60 cases. One case was dismissed.
Texas voter turnout reaches 14% in 2023 – a two-decade high for odd year elections in the state
Turnout at Texas’ Nov. 7 general election was the highest for an odd-year election in almost two decades.
The lowest turnout for an odd-year election during this period was 5% in 2011 when voters decided on 10 constitutional amendments. The highest turnout for an odd-year election was 26% in 1991 when voters decided on 13 constitutional amendments.