Louisiana's poorest workers will have to go at least another year without a pay raise after lawmakers rejected Democratic New Orleans Sen. Gary Carter's effort to have his minimum wage bill heard on the Senate floor.
The action came less than 24 hours after the Senate Finance Committee in a Memorial Day hearing advanced "without action" Senate Bill 149 to create a state minimum wage of $10 per hour in 2024 that would rise to $14 per hour in 2028.
"It needs to be established into law," said Democratic Shreveport Sen. Greg Tarver.
But because it was advanced "without action," the Senate had to vote on whether to add the bill to its calendar. Senators voted 25-13 against doing so Tuesday afternoon, killing the measure for this session.
Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards had supported establishing a state minimum wage for all eight years of his two terms to no avail.
Carter emphasized that there are workers who are trying to make ends meet on the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, which hasn't changed since 2008.
"There are people, not just students, relying on minimum wage," he said.
One in five people in Louisiana live below the poverty rate.
Tom Costanza, executive director of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, said 30% of single women who head households work for the minimum wage in Louisiana.
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