A proposed plan by Maryland lawmakers could raise the minimum wage to US$25, up from $15. The Living Wage For All Act would increase the pay by 2030, CBS News reported. The legislation also would eliminate the tip credit starting in 2031 and automatically increase wages with inflation starting in 2033. 

The new minimum wage would be nearly $10 per hour higher than the nation’s current highest minimum wage. Washington became the state with the highest minimum wage in 2026, offering employees a floor of $17.13 per hour in 2026. The highest minimum wage in the U.S. is $17.95 in Washington, D.C.

The act would raise the state’s current $15 per hour minimum wage incrementally toward the $25 per hour goal at the following scale:

• $17—Jan. 1, 2027
• $20—Jan. 1, 2028
• $22.50—Jan. 1, 2029
• $25—Jan.1, 2030

This pace of increase compresses years of wage growth into a short period of time and represents a 67% increase overall.

In the post-pandemic world, restroom cleanliness has become a critical part of the customer experience, especially in high-traffic facilities. A clean restroom reinforces confidence in an establishment, while a dirty one can quickly impact repeat business.

In the global study, Post-Pandemic Perceptions of Commercial Restrooms from Excel Dryer Inc.’s research firm MetrixLab, surveyed restaurant owners and facility managers said the top changes they noticed post-pandemic were:

1. Negative effects of a dirty bathroom on repeat business.
2. Increased demand for touchless features.
3. Increased use of the restroom.

Consumers, facility managers (FMs) and restaurant owners (ROs) express similar views regarding paper products (towels/toilet paper) serving as primary contributors to perceptions of a dirty bathroom. Consumers appear to have somewhat more tolerance than FMs and ROs about most other situations that make for a dirty restroom. For FMs and ROs, the issue of water on the floor rises to the top, but issues around paper (paper towels, toilet paper on floor) closely follow.  

“Restrooms are a direct extension of the guest experience,” said William Gagnon, executive vice president and COO of Excel Dryer. “A dirty restroom experience directly affects a business’s bottom line and works against customer retention.” 

When encountering a dirty restroom, consumer perceptions toward the establishment are more sensitive than FM and RO perceptions. FMs and ROs (45% and 47%, respectively) are somewhat less likely to feel a dirty restroom impacts user perceptions of the establishment.

With 75% of U.S. consumers now washing their hands up to 10 times per day, restrooms must keep up with higher expectations and heavier traffic. Nonfunctioning paper towel dispensers ranked notably higher than nonfunctioning hand dryers as a situation that makes a restroom dirty, particularly for consumers (71% vs. 62%) and FMs (85% vs. 73%).

While FMs, RO, and consumers indicated transitioning to touchless fixtures in public restrooms since COVID is key, the level of importance is considerably more pronounced among those that maintain the restroom versus users of the room.

Virtually all FMs and Ros agreed that touchless hand dryers play a substantial role in restroom cleanliness and maintenance. More than three quarters said hand dryers “help considerably” with paper waste.