Senate Bill 187, legislation that would raise minimum wage in Alaska, will be up for hearings in the Senate Labor and Commerce Thursday, Jan. 31. This bill, by Sen. Bill Wielechowski, would increase Alaska’s minimum wage from $7.15 per hour to $8 an hour in 2009 and adjust it annually for inflation. Wielechoski says at least 10 states adjust their minimum wage annually for inflation, including Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin, and says Alaska has the lowest minimum wage on the West Coast. The primary issue in SB 187 is likely to be the annual inflation adjustment.