Updated 2:50 PM
ALBANY (AP) -- Advocates for the poor and working poor have rallied in Albany for a $10 minimum wage, jobs for welfare recipients and ethics reform in state government.
The 21st annual "People's State of the State" rally Tuesday outside the Capitol is intended to influence the Legislature a day before Gov. David Paterson delivers his State of the State speech to start the 2010 session.
About 40 demonstrators attended the event organized by the Hunger Action Network and the Empire State Economic Security Campaign. They're calling for more government funding to support jobs for welfare recipients and the unemployed.
The current minimum wage rose to $7.25 an hour in July.
Advocates also want more protection from foreclosures and more lower-cost housing for working families.
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