State House advances bill to increase minimum wage in Pennsylvania
The exterior of the Pennsylvania state Capitol. (Photo by Amanda Mustard for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star).
The state House is inching closer to passing a bill to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, an outcome long sought by Democrats and opposed by Republicans.
House Bill 1549 would increase it to $15 per hour for most Pennsylvanians, though in some smaller counties, it would only raise it to $12.
The proposal would also raise the minimum wage for tipped workers.
'We are falling far, far, far behind,' Rep. Jason Dawkins (D-Philadelphia), the bill's sponsor said when it was debated in committee last week. 'Given our economic uncertainty, I think it's our duty as elected members to give [to] families across this commonwealth who have struggled to afford basic necessities.'
The commonwealth's current minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. It has not increased since 2008, and remains lower than those in surrounding states – New York, Ohio, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
The timeline laid out in the bill for the proposed minimum wage, as well as the ultimate figure, would vary county by county.
For employers in Philadelphia County, the minimum wage would be $15 on January 1, 2026.
Elsewhere, the minimum wage would increase gradually, reaching $15 or $12 on January 1, 2028. The difference is based on population. Counties with under 210,000 people, with the exception of Centre, Pike and Monroe Counties, will only see their minimum wage rise to $12.
Beginning in 2029, the minimum wage would increase annually, based on federal cost of living statistics.
On the floor Tuesday, Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), criticized the bill, calling its county-based tier system a 'dumb idea.'
'I look at York right next to Adams County. We're gonna have two different rates for those two now,' Grove said. 'How do businesses operate under such draconian policies? How is anyone supposed to figure this out?'
Democrats, however, have long pushed for an increase to Pennsylvania's minimum wage, with most Republicans opposing it.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, however, has long endorsed a minimum wage hike. On Monday, he posted on social media that the current minimum wage is 'too damn low.'
'It's time to put more money back in Pennsylvanian's pockets and raise the minimum wage,' he wrote.
The bill would also raise the minimum wage for tipped workers from the current $2.83 per hour to 60% of the minimum wage. That would be $9 where the minimum wage is $15 and $7.20 where it's $12.
House Bill 1549 must still be voted on one more time on the state House floor before it can pass. It will also have to earn support in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Across the country, some Republicans are calling for a hike in minimum wage. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday that would raise the minimum wage everywhere in the U.S. to $15.
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