Further proof that states aren't waiting for Congress to act: Measures to raise the minimum wage will be on the November ballots in four states and two cities.
The new requirement that visiting aides and nursing assistants and companions be paid minimum wage and higher overtime rates will still take effect in the new year -- but only on paper.
If approved by Los Angeles city council, the plan could raise wages for 567,000 workers by 2017.
Seattle's city council unanimously approved an increase in the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour, making it the nation's highest by far.
As President Obama leads a push to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10, more focus is being given to a patchwork of rules that let companies pay some classes of workers considerably less than the minimum.
There's no single definition of "living wage." But First GREEN Bank in Florida has decided to implement a living wage policy that guarantees no worker will earn less than $30,000 a year or its hourly equivalent for part-time workers.
