Republican lawmakers in the Louisiana House have stalled a bid to give municipalities the authority to set their own minimum wage rates.
The proposal by Rep. Royce Duplessis, a New Orleans Democrat, aimed to work around repeated legislative defeats for boosting Louisiana's statewide minimum wage above the $7.25-per-hour federal level.
Duplessis sought to reverse a state law passed in 1997 that prohibited parishes and cities from setting local minimum wage rates.
His bill also would allow local governing authorities to establish paid leave requirements for businesses. But he couldn't gain traction for the local authority measure in the House labor committee.
The panel voted 9-6 Thursday to shelve Duplessis' legislation. Republicans voted in a bloc against the bill, siding with business organizations that opposed it.