State House Unlikely To Take Up Measure
Iowa’s
state Senate has passed a measure to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.75
per hour in a two-step process. All 26 of the chamber’s Democrats and one
Republican voted for the bill, which would raise the minimum wage to $8 per
hour on July 1 of this year, and to $8.75 per hour a year later. Senate
Republicans declined to speak when given an opportunity to debate the measure.
Sen. Tony Bisignano (D) said that the measure, when fully implemented, would
boost the yearly income of a full-time worker by $3,120 and $6,240 for working
couples.
Several labor unions have voiced support for the increase, while NFIB and
Iowa’s restaurant and lodging industries oppose it.
What This Means Going Forward:
While the measure easily passed the Democrat-controlled
Senate, it is unlikely to be taken up in the House, where Republicans hold the
majority. The last time the Iowa state legislature raised the minimum wage was
in 2007. The state minimum wage has been pegged to the federal minimum wage
since 2009. Republican Gov. Terry Branstad signed a minimum wage increase into
law in the 1980s.
Additional Reading:
The Des Moines (IA) Register, the Waterloo and Cedar Falls (IA) Courier, Iowa State Daily, and KCAU-TV report on the legislation.
