"We have the cash this year to do it, so there’s no excuses," Simpson said.
by: Gray Rohrer
Florida Politics +
Senate President Wilton Simpson led the charge last year to increase the minimum wage for state workers to $13 an hour. This year, the Trilby Republican wants to boost it to $15 per hour starting Oct. 1 — four years ahead of when the minimum wage will reach $15 for all workers.
The move would cost $1 billion in state funds and affect thousands of state workers and even more contractors. More exact estimates of how many workers would see a raise weren’t immediately available.
Under Simpson’s plan, it would also affect workers for vendors for the state in the education and health care sectors, including all K-12 school personnel and nursing home workers.
Simpson said low-paid workers providing critical services need a raise, especially as inflation increases the cost of living.
“Look at what inflation is doing to all earners, but especially these low-wage earners,” Simpson told Florida Politics. “You’re talking about someone that drives your kids to school on a bus every day and they’re making $10, $11, $12 an hour.”
“We have the cash this year to do it, so there’s no excuses,” he added. “If we don’t do it this year it’s because we didn’t have the courage to do it.”
Simpson acknowledged he likely wouldn’t be moving as “aggressively” on hiking the minimum wage for state workers if it wasn’t for the constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2020 that will boost...
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