House, Senate Democrats Push for $10.10 Minimum Wage

The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 would increase the federal starting wage in increments and tie future raises to the cost of living.

March 08, 2013

WASHINGTON - Democrats in the House and Senate filed legislation that would jack up the federal starting wage to $10.10 an hour ?" significantly higher than $9 an hour proposed by President Obama in his State of the Union address, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

"Look, it's become clear that corporations paying the minimum wage can now afford to pay more. It's not more complicated than that," said Rep. George Miller (D-CA), who co-authored the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 along with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Their bill would increase the federal starting wage from its current $7.25 an hour to $10.10 per hour in increments, plus tie future increase to the cost of living. The guaranteed minimum wage for tipped employees (primarily restaurant workers) would rise from $2.13 per hour to 70% of the standard minimum wage, the first time that amount has increased in two decades.

Democrats point out that a majority of Americans are for raising the federal minimum wage. A USA Today/Pew Research Center poll found that 71% of Americans are behind raising the federal minimum wage.

Already, 19 states plus Washington, D.C., have state minimum wages above $7.25. The last federal minimum wage raise came in 2007 under President Bush. This year, 10 states saw their minimum wages go up: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
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