Economy. Bill to increase state minimum wage moves forward

| 21 Jun 2023 | 01:21

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed legislation on June 20, 2023 that could increase the state minimum wage.

House Bill 1500 would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $11 per hour in January 2024. Further increases would be scheduled raise to $13 per hour in 2025 and $15 per hour in 2026. Beginning in 2027, future minimum wage increases would be calculated annually according to the Consumer Price Index for Pennsylvania, rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 cents.

“Today’s vote is a start that would provide a long overdue raise for more than a million Pennsylvania workers, including thousands of hardworking people in Monroe and Pike counties,” Rep. Tarah Probst said. “Under the House plan that I voted for today, we won’t hit $15 an hour for three more years. If we bumped the wage straight to $15 an hour, people would lose all of their other benefits, so slow and steady is the way to go because we need to lift people up without causing them other harm.”

The bill will now head to the state Senate for consideration.