Massachusetts is poised to approve an $11-an-hour minimum wage, the highest of any state in the country. The Massachusetts House is expected to approve the bill this week after it passed the state Senate, and Gov. Deval Patrick has signaled he will sign it. The bill would raise the current $8-an-hour minimum wage by a dollar each year until it reaches $11 in 2017. The move comes after the city of Seattle, Washington, made history earlier this month by approving the gradual phase-in of a $15-an-hour minimum wage.