Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has the attention of lawmakers after testifying in favor of legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour this year -- two years ahead of schedule. Raising the minimum wage and tying it to inflation is the cornerstone of the governor's plan to eliminate child poverty, and he acknowledges it will be a tough fight.

Moore told committee members that he listened to all sides of the issue and is still convinced that raising the minimum wage early and tying it to the rate of inflation for future increases is the right thing to do.

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More than a dozen groups oppose the plan. Some local chambers of commerce oppose the bill, saying it sends a message that Maryland is anti-business, and they are concerned about budgeting for increases tied to inflation. Those in opposition cited increasing labor costs that they said will affect jobs.

"Labor costs going up this much will mean people will lose jobs. Prices will go up, and as much as we believe this is going to lift people up, it's going to cost harm," said Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Association. "Tying the wage to the Consumer Price Index would allow, in this bill, an upwards of a 5% increase every single year, and we believe policy decisions should be made on a yearly basis if we are going to increase wages in that fashion."

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