(ConservativeJournal.org) – Christine M. Tartaglione, Pennsylvania State Rep., recently introduced a new law that might significantly change the minimum wage in the state. The legislation’s main goal is to make $20 an hour the norm for workers’ minimum wage.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has not been updated by the state government since July of 2009. At that time, it was also Senator Tartaglione who was responsible for raising the state’s minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25. Currently, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is still $7.25.
The senator explained that as inflation strikes and the cost of living goes up, it is only right that the minimum wage for workers also increases. The new bill, called Senate Bill 1186, is trying to hit the $20 per hour mark by July 1, 2024.
Senate Bill 1186 is also trying to completely modernize Pennsylvania’s minimum wage laws. According to it, separate counties or municipalities in the state should be able to adjust their minimum wage regardless of the amount mandated by the state.
The bill puts in writing that any salary made by the employee is solely theirs and cannot be taken away due to any reason other than error. The law therefore makes it so that the Department of Labor & Industry can recover any wages and penalties to protect against wage theft. This would previously only be allowed if a complaint was filed. The fines in case any violations to this are made are also to be increased.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the current minimum wage in Pennsylvania is way too low and nearly impossible for people and families to live on comfortably. While housing and living expenses continue to rise every year, the minimum wage in the state has stayed the same for almost two decades. If the new bill is approved, the goal is to then adjust it every five years for inflation.
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