The Office of the Labor Commissioner has released the annual bulletins for Nevada’s minimum wage and daily overtime requirements. The rates will take effect on July 1, 2019.
Minimum wage remains unchanged for 2019. The minimum wage for employees who are offered qualified health benefits from their employers will be $7.25 per hour and $8.25 per hour for employees who are not offered qualified health benefits.
The Minimum Wage Amendment (“MWA”) was enacted following voter ballot initiatives in 2004 and 2006 (titled “The Raise the Minimum Wage for Working Nevadans Act”). The MWA established a two-tier minimum wage in Nevada. No later than April 1 each year, the Labor Commissioner must calculate the minimum wage that will apply to all Nevada employers that year. The new rates go into effect shortly thereafter on July 1.
In addition to having a unique two-tier minimum wage, Nevada is one of the few states that has daily overtime (i.e. after 8 hours in any 24 hour period) as well as overtime after 40 hours in a workweek. Due to Nevada’s two-tier minimum wage system, there are also two thresholds at which daily vs. weekly overtime apply.
Employees who are offered qualified health benefits from their employers and earn less than $10.88 per hour, and employees earning less than $12.38 per hour who are not offered qualified health benefits, are entitled to overtime whenever they work more than 8 hours in a 24-hour period. Employees making at or above those threshold amounts are entitled to overtime when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek.
Governor Sisolak has made it clear that raising the minimum wage is one of his top priorities. There are several bills before the Nevada Legislature right now that would affect Nevada’s current minimum wage system.
Assembly Bill 456 would revise NRS 608 to provide for an increase in the minimum wage. Specifically, it would require that the minimum wage be increased by $0.75 each year until the minimum wage reached $12.00 per hour or more for employees who are not offered qualified health benefits by their employer, and $11.00 per hour or more for employees who are offered qualified health benefits by their employer.
Senate Bill 192 seeks to establish the minimum level of health benefits that an employer is required to make available to any employee and his/her dependents for the purpose of determining whether the employer is authorized to pay the lower tier minimum wage to the employee.
NAE will continue to follow the latest developments at the state capital to keep members up-to-date on matters that affect Nevada business. We monitor legislative process and regulatory decisions so you don’t have to. Nevada businesses trust that they are getting the latest information on their rights and obligations as employers from NAE because it’s what we do.
For more information about NAE and what we do for Nevada employers, visit our website. If you are a Nevada employer interested in membership, please contact membership@nevadaemployers.org or join today!
