(TRENTON) – Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) released the following statement Thursday on the introduction of the minimum wage bill in the Assembly:

“This bill addresses the issue of helping New Jersey’s working poor be better able to afford living in the State while taking into consideration the concerns of the State’s valued small business community.

“Raising the minimum wage will not only lift up the current generation of low-wage workers but ensure fairness for future generations and tackle issues of hunger and inequality.”