The state of Idaho became the latest to prohibit the imposition of local minimum wages a bill prohibiting political subdivisions from setting minimum wages above the state minimum become law without the signature of Governor Butch Otter.  The Governor’s staff explained that he didn’t sign or veto the legislation because he was “conflicted” about whether the state should block localities from doing what they believe to be best.  In his message to the legislature, Otter explained that he was “philosophically torn by the legislation.” Regardless, the bill was going to become law as it passed both legislative branches by a veto-proof majority.  Further west, an effort in the Washington legislature to prohibit other communities from following the lead of Seattle, Sea-Tac and Tacoma failed to gain enough legislative support to advance in the closely divided legislature.  At the same time, organized labor is collecting signatures for a ballot initiative it is trying to put before the voters this fall.  The organized labor proposal would increase the current minimum from $9.47 to $13.50 through several incremental increases.  And in Oregon, which became the first state to implement a tiered minimum wage when it was signed by Governor Kate Brown last month, new minimums will become effective every July 1, beginning in less than four months.  How much an employee must be paid across the state will be largely determined by where the business is located and where it operates.  There will be much riding on the final regulations which the Oregon labor commissioner is charged with promulgating.  Back east, Maine Governor Paul LePage hasn’t given up on getting a competing initiative on minimum wage before the voters.  This week, the Governor submitted his own initiative to the legislature asking for it to be placed before the voters in November.  Maine allows for competing questions to be presented to the voters and earlier this year, the Maine People’s Alliance succeeded in collecting the signatures necessary to place their $12 minimum wage proposal before the voters.  LePage, hoping to give voters a bona fide choice, has proposed a more gradual increase to a $10 an hour minimum by 2020.  And lastly, back to the subject of paid leave, San Francisco raised the issue to new heights this week for businesses with more than 20 employees when its Board of Supervisors unanimously required all businesses to offer them six weeks fully paid parental leave.  Almost half of the salary burden (45%) will be borne directly by the employer.  The state of California currently pays 55 percent of the salary for a worker on parental leave. Is it any wonder that the Golden State was paying vendors with IOUs just a few years ago??