House OKs hike in minimum wage

WASHINGTON — The House's Democratic majority, exercising its new political clout, on Wednesday approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade — from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years. -- California — where the minimum wage increased to $7.50 an hour on Jan. 1 and will rise to $8 on Jan. 1, 2008 — is among 29 states, with minimum wages that exceed the existing federal rate. The rate is also higher in Washington, D.C.