BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana won't raise its minimum wage.

The House labor committee rejected bills Thursday that would have set a state minimum wage that's higher than the hourly federal rate of $7.25.

Opponents said the proposals would hurt businesses and their employees by leading to layoffs. Supporters had argued a wage hike would ease poverty in a state that is among the poorest in the nation.

The committee voted 10-6 against a proposal by Alexandria Rep. Herbert Dixon to make $8.25 per hour the minimum wage by next year. Then, lawmakers voted 9-5 to reject New Orleans Rep. Jared Brossett's bill calling for a $10.10 per hour minimum wage for next year.

The issue had been championed by the Democratic Party.

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