By nearly a party line vote, the state House of Representatives has passed a bill that would raise the minimum wage in the state.
House Bill 1500 passed by a 103-100 vote. All but one Democrat voted for the bill, along with two Republicans. The bill proposes to increase the minimum wage gradually from $7.25 an hour to $11 in 2024, then up to $13 in 2025 and then to $15 in 2026. Future increases would be tied to inflation. The legislation also proposes an increase to the tipped wage to 60% of the minimum wage.
Both State Representative Jim Struzzi and Brian Smith voted against the bill, which now heads to the PA Senate. It faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said that a minimum wage could be a topic of discussion at budget negotiations. Pittman said that his caucus would wait and see what the bill would look like before offering a reaction to it, but also said that, “$15 an hour is not a practical number” for Senate Republicans to consider.
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