Minimum wage group has enough signatures for ballot

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A group calling for a higher minimum wage has turned in signatures for a ballot initiative that would let voters decide the issue.

The organization, Raise Up Missouri, said Wednesday it had turned in more than 120,000 signatures to the Secretary of State's office. The group wants a question on November's ballot asking voters to slowly raise the state's minimum wage to $12 an hour.

The current minimum wage is $7.85.

Missouri Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a coalition of 200 local employers, also supports the measure.

The Secretary of State's office reviews signatures before allowing initiatives on the ballot, a process that can take months. More than 100,000 signatures are required to change state law.