Progressive lawmakers in Washington D.C. introduced legislation Tuesday to increase the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour.
The proposal – put forward by two reprenstatives from Illinois – could have severe impacts on businesses across the country, according to critics.
The federal minimum wage currently stands at $7.25 per hour, which lawmakers noted has not changed since 2009.
Co-sponsor of the bill, U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, was a co-lead on the 2019 statewide wage increase, which brought it to $15 per hour. She said that experience gave her insight when creating the federal proposal.
She said language in her bill seeks to reduce impacts for small businesses across the country by phasing in the wage increase.
Noah Finley, State Director of the NFIB, has argued both the previous increase and new proposal would be harmful to businesses across the state.
Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie said a federal increase isn’t a good idea and it isn’t likely to happen under the current administration.
Story from Illinois Radio Network
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