$15 Minimum Wage Plan Approved By Illinois Senate Committee

ACROSS ILLINOIS — The Illinois Senate committee approved a plan to increase the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour on Wednesday. According to the Illinois General Assembly website, the Executive Committee approved the plan 13 to 6. According to state officials, the legislation would increase the state's current $8.25 minimum wage to $9.25 on Jan. 1, 2020, then continue annual increases in the minimum wage until it amounts to $15 per hour beginning on January 1, 2025.

This timeline also includes an increase to $10 on July 1, 2020, NBC Chicago reported.

The legislation, sponsored by Democrat Senator Kimberly Lightford, also authorizes the Department of Labor to randomly audit employers in order to see if they're in compliance with the Minimum Wage Law, and also authorizes the department to implement a penalty of $100 per employee for failure to keep required records.

Lightford's plan also includes a withholding-tax credit for business of 50 or fewer employees starting Jan. 1, 2020, at 25 percent and decreasing until it ends in 2026.

According to NBC Chicago, Republican Sen. Sue Rezin, of Morris, said GOP lawmakers are looking for input from owners of small businesses.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker , who campaigned on the wage issue, said he wants to sign a bill into law before he comes out with his budget plan on Feb. 20, according to NBC Chicago.

The vote moved on to the House Thursday, assigned to the Labor & Commerce Committee.

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