$15 Minimum Wage Bill Passes U.S. House of Reps

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill this week that would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

While this may sound like good news, it is also bittersweet because the legislation is not likely to pass the Senate which is mostly controlled by the Republicans.

The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour for a decade, the longest stretch of time without any increase. There are currently, 29 states and D.C. have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

“That’s not America. We need to make sure that people who work full-time are not in poverty,” said Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA).

The Rase the Wage Act was introduced by Scott. The bill would incrementally raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.

“The people have already spoken on this,” said Scott.

Not everybody is a fan however. “Good intentions are no excuse for imposing bad policy,” said Rachel Greszler with the Heritage Foundation. “The Raise the Wage Act is a misguided attempt to increase incomes. In reality, it will eliminate jobs and decrease incomes for workers with the fewest skills and least experience.”