Skip to main content
Stay Connected
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Sign in
Cart
Contact Us
Create Account
Toggle navigation
Federal Minimum Wage Hike Heard in House Hearing
February 11, 2019
The House Committee on Education and Labor held its first hearing in the new Congress last week, with witnesses testifying on the “Raise the Wage Act” that would increase the federal minimum wage across the U.S. to $15 per hour by 2024, and then would tie future minimum wage increases to median workers’ pay.
The legislation would apply only to hourly workers covered by the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standard Act. Independent contractors and freelancers would remain exempt from the minimum wage requirements. The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour since 2009.
While California, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. have enacted state minimum wage requirements at $15 per hour, House Democrats want to extend it to all states. The measure has 190 co-sponsors (all Democrats) and also would phase out the lower minimum wage for tipped workers.
Democrats on the panel called for the quick passage of the legislation, citing polls that say many Americans on both sides of the political spectrum support a federal minimum wage hike, and a majority agree with the increase to $15 an hour.
Republicans meanwhile criticized the broader impact of a minimum wage increase, including whether it would result in fewer entry-level jobs, squeeze profits from small businesses, or drive up inflation.
The amount of loss also was debated, ranging from a 1% loss of employment with a 10% increase in minimum wage, to much more drastic levels. Conservative economists point to a 2014 Congressional Budget Office report that suggested the loss of 500,000 jobs at a $10.10 per hour wage floor.
Even if passed by the House, it is uncertain whether the Republican-controlled Senate will take up the legislation. Meanwhile, numerous states have increased their minimum wage between the federal level and $15 per hour.
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
##LOC[Cancel]##