PA Minimum Wage Bill Advances: Here's How Much It Will Go Up

HARRISBURG, PA — A bill that would increase Pennsylvania's minimum wage, currently set at the federal minimum of $7.25, is moving forward in Harrisburg. The Senate Labor and Industry Committee has passed Senate Bill 79, and it will now be up for a floor vote.

The bill would increase the state's minimum wage by $2.25 over the next three years. Under the proposal, the state's minimum wage would go up to $8 an hour on July 1, 2020, $8.50 on Jan. 1, 2021, $9 on July 1, 2021, and $9.50 on Jan. 1, 2022.

If passed, it would be the first minimum wage increase in Pennsylvania in a decade. A floor vote in the Senate could come as early as this week, PennLive.com reported. If approved by the Senate, the bill would move on to the House.

A minimum wage increase is supported by Gov. Tom Wolf.

“Waiting ten years for a minimum wage increase is too long. The public overwhelmingly supports raising the wage and it’s time for Harrisburg to listen. The legislature must stand with workers and raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage," Wolf said in a statement issued on July 24 — the 10-year anniversary of a wage increase in the state.

The increase to $9.50 is not as much as many Democratic lawmakers initially sought. Gov. Wolf has advocated for a increase up to $15 by 2025, a measure not supported by his Republican counterparts.

The bill is sponsored by Democrat Sen. Christine Tartaglione.