BATON ROUGE, La. - A Louisiana Senate committee on Tuesday unanimously approved efforts to lengthen prison sentences for people who operate fentanyl labs and carry out drive-by-shootings, part of a
Proposed $15 State Minimum Wage Clears First Legislative Hurdle, But Faces Uphill Climb Before It Co kedm.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kedm.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Louisiana State Capitol
A Louisiana Senate Committee advanced a bill Thursday to establish the state minimum wage at $15 per hour.
Louisiana is one of only five states with no minimum wage of its own, so the state’s lowest earners’ wages are tied to the federal rate of $7.25 per hour. That hasn’t been raised since 2009 and has failed to keep pace with the cost of living.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, an estimated 695,000 Louisianans would get a raise if the bill becomes a law.
That’s a big if. The proposed wage increase cleared the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee on a party-line vote with the committee’s three Democrats voting in favor of the bill and its two Republicans voting against it.