Pennsylvania House lawmakers voted Tuesday to raise the state’s minimum wage after 14 years at $7.25 an hour, the lowest rate allowed under federal law.
The measure, which is part of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal, is likely to become a bargaining chip as House Democrats and Senate Republicans work over the next 10 days to hammer out a state budget that will pass in both chambers.
The minimum wage bill would initially raise the minimum wage to $11 an hour next year, $13 an hour in 2025 and $15 an hour in 2026. Increases each year thereafter would be tied to the consumer price index.
House Bill 1500, sponsored by Rep. Jason Dawkins, D-Philadelphia, passed in a 103-100 vote with Republican Reps. Joe Hogan and Kathleen Tomlinson, both of Bucks County breaking ranks with their caucus.
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, has said that $15 an hour is “not a practical number.”
House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, said after the vote that he’s hopeful that enough Senate Republicans will support the hike for it to pass. Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, introduced an identical bill in the Senate, which has yet to see a vote.
“We need to be pragmatic. We recognize we have 102 [votes]. But we also recognize that this bill is largely a companion bill from a Republican senator. If they won’t pass their own minimum wage bill, you wonder what the wage bill they will pass,” Bradford said.
House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, told reporters...
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