Two Wisconsin legislators are trying again to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour.
The bill, LRB-0287, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Sargent and Sen. Bob Wirch, would gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 over the next five years, according to a press release on Urban Milwaukee. After that point, the Department of Workforce Development would be required to index the minimum wage to inflation. LRB-0287 would also repeal the state statute that prohibits all localities from enacting a minimum wage that is different than the state.
Rep. Sargent and Sen. Wirch introduced a similar measure in the previous legislative session, but it did not pass. It will also face a tough road to passage now, and as of this writing, had not been scheduled for a committee hearing. The co-sponsorship period ended on Dec. 1.