State Senator George Onorato (D–Astoria) praised the state Senate December 6 decision to override Governor George Pataki’s veto of legislation to increase the New York state minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.15 an hour by January 2007.

“Although the weather outside was frightful, the minimum wage override was certainly delightful,” Onorato declared. “I couldn’t be happier that the state senate, with my support, finally followed the lead of the state Assembly and voted overwhelmingly to give New York’s lowest paid employees an early holiday gift.

“I am hopeful that this override is just the beginning of a new effort by the state legislature to do the right thing for all New Yorkers, whether that means enacting meaningful budget and legislative reform, finding a way to ensure that our school children receive the quality education they deserve, providing better access to health coverage for mentally ill New Yorkers, or tackling any number of other important issues that have gone unresolved by the legislature and Governor for far too long.”