Gov. Pat Quinn is using the holiday weekend honoring Martin Luther King Jr. to continue pressing for raising Illinois' minimum wage to at least $10.
The Democratic governor said while visiting a Chicago church Sunday that raising the state's minimum wage from $8.25 would be a key component in what he called the "war on poverty."
Quinn says "Dr. King's legacy was one of service, compassion and inclusion," and that "we can continue his mission to eliminate poverty by raising the minimum wage."
Republicans and business groups say raising the minimum wage kills jobs. Both the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce have come out against proposed minimum wage increases.
Illinois last raised its minimum wage in 2010 under a series of incremental increases.
