Seeking to fulfill a long-standing Democratic ambition, a coalition of lawmakers introduced a bill on Tuesday that would raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The measure, which is also included in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package, calls for gradually increasing the hourly wage in increments until it hits $15 in 2025. After that, it would be indexed to median wage growth — a move meant to guarantee wages keep up with inflation without needing new legislation.
Democratic lawmakers have pushed for years to raise the minimum wage, which now stands at $7.25 and hasn’t been increased since 2009.
President Barack Obama pressed in his 2013 State of the Union address to bump up the hourly rate in stages to $9 an hour over two years, and state and local governments around the country have done just that. Voters have consistently approved even bigger minimum wage hikes when they appear on the ballot — most recently in Florida, where voters supported a $15 minimum wage in November.
Click here to read the rest of the article written at WJZ CBS local
