BATON ROUGE, La. —
Efforts to increase Louisiana’s minimum wage, which currently aligns with the federal rate of $7.25 an hour, were rejected in a Republican-controlled legislative committee Wednesday — a day after lawmakers advanced a bill that would double their own salaries.
The failed bill would have gradually increased the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour in 2024 and to $14 an hour in 2028. Louisiana has the second-highest poverty rate in the country, with nearly 19% of the population impoverished, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
“Sometimes I wonder if Louisiana wants to do better, if Louisiana wants to grow,” Democratic state Rep. Tammy Phelps, who voted in favor of the bill, said to fellow lawmakers and audience members at Wednesday’s committee meeting. “It’s always resonated with me, ‘Why have we not moved forward?’ And I apologize, I can’t give you that answer.”
Proponents of raising the minimum wage argue that doing so would make Louisiana more competitive with other states — improving the economy with more money available to be spent, retain the state’s population that saw some of the steepest decreases in the country and improve the overall lives of residents who struggle to afford necessities on slim paychecks.
“Our citizens are hurting and struggling to survive,” said Democratic state Rep. Ed Larvadain, who sponsored the bill.
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