Midstate lawmaker unveils plan to raise PA minimum wage
(Harrisburg) — A first-term state lawmaker from Dauphin County is behind the latest push to hike Pennsylvania’s minimum wage.
The Commonwealth’s minimum wage stands at $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal baseline that’s been in place since 2009.
But Democratic Representative Patty Kim says it’s not enough to get workers over the poverty line.
“If someone works full-time at $7.25, all-year-round, they are still below the poverty line, which means many of them still rely on state assistance like housing assistance, food stamps and Medicaid,” she says. “It just is not right.”
For a two-person household, the federal poverty guideline is currently $15,510.
Kim’s plan calls for an immediate hike in the state minimum wage to $9 an hour. It would increase to $10.10 a year later.
Washington State has the highest minimum wage in the nation at $9.19. Washington indexes its rate to inflation, while Pennsylvania does not.
The Associated Press and WITF’s democracy reporter Jordan Wilkie are partnering to tell stories about how Pennsylvania elections work, and to debunk misinformation surrounding elections.
