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Republican Senator Concerned Student Wage Bill Would Discourage School Enrollment

A bill that would let employers pay some young workers less that the minimum wage hit a snag on Thursday amid questions of whether it will discourage people from going to school. That possibility worries Republican Sen. Tyler Pace.

"The bill, the way it's written, would say, ‘We'll pay you more if you don't go to school.’ And to me, that appears as an incentive to not go to school," Pace said.

Pace told Capitol Media Services that he is going to meet with the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Travis Grantham, to address those concerns. Grantham’s bill would allow employers to pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour for full-time students who are younger than 22 and work fewer than 20 hours a week.