Raise the Wage Act

Raise the Wage Act of 2021
Long title	To provide for increases in the Federal minimum wage, and for other purposes.
Announced in	the 117th United States Congress
Number of co-sponsors	199
Legislative history
	Introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R.603 by Bobby Scott (D–VA) on January 28, 2021; Committee consideration by House Committee on Education and Labor;

The Raise the Wage Act is a proposed United States law that would increase the federal minimum wage to US$15.^[1]^[2] It has been introduced in each United States Congress since 2017.

Background[]

Federal Minimum Wage[]

The minimum wage in the United States is set by U.S. labor law and a range of state and local laws. The first federal minimum wage was created as part of the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but declared unconstitutional. In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act established it at $0.25 an hour ($4.54 in 2019 dollars). Its purchasing power peaked in 1968 at $1.60 ($11.76 in 2019 dollars). The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 has set the minimum wage at $7.25 per hour since 2009.

Provisions[]

Minimum Wage Increases[]

The most recently introduced bill would gradually increase the minimum wage over the next 5 years as follows: ^[3]

Regular Employee
Effective Date	New Minimum Wage
The next year on January 1	$9.50
1 year later	$11.00
2 years later	$12.50
3 years later	$14.00
4 years later	$15.00

Employee's with Disabilities
Effective Date	New Minimum Wage
The next year on January 1	$5.00
1 year later	$7.50
2 years later	$10.00
3 years later	$12.50
4 years later	$15.00

Tipped Employees[]

The bill raises the minimum wage to $4.95 an hour for tipped employees and their employers.^[3]

New Employees that are 20 years old or less[]

The bill raises the minimum wage to $6.00 an hour for newly hired employees who are 20 years older or less.^[3]

Legislative history[]

As of April 23, 2021:

Congress	Short title	Bill number(s)	Date introduced	Sponsor(s)	# of cosponsors	Latest status
115th Congress	Raise the Wage Act	H.R. 15	May 25, 2017	Bobby Scott (D-VA)	171	Died in committee
115th Congress	Raise the Wage Act	S. 1242	May 25, 2017	Bernie Sanders (D-VT)	31	Died in committee
116th Congress	Raise the Wage Act	H.R. 582	January 16, 2019	Bobby Scott (D-VA)	205	Passed the House
116th Congress	Raise the Wage Act	S. 150	January 16, 2019	Bernie Sanders (D-VT)	32	Died in committee
117th Congress	Raise the Wage Act of 2021	H.R. 603	January 28, 2021	Bobby Scott (D-VA)	199	Referred to Committees of Jurisdiction
117th Congress	Raise the Wage Act of 2021	S. 53	January 26, 2021	Bernie Sanders (D-VT)	37	Referred to Committees of Jurisdiction

References[]

^ "The Raise the Wage Act, Explained". Indivisible. 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
^ "Minimum wage fight: 'There's no recovery without raising it'". BBC News. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Text - H.R.603 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Raise the Wage Act of 2021". www.congress.gov. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-03-14.

External links[]

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[1] "The Raise the Wage Act, Explained". Indivisible. 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2021-03-11.

[2] "Minimum wage fight: 'There's no recovery without raising it'". BBC News. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2021-04-23.

[:0-3] "Text - H.R.603 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Raise the Wage Act of 2021". www.congress.gov. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-03-14.

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