Democratic lawmakers are making another attempt to pass a bill increasing Wisconsin’s minimum wage.
The bill would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour over a five-year period and index wages to inflation after 2020. It has support from more than 20 Democratic legislators.
Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, is a sponsor of the measure. She said the proposal would help the hard-working people of Wisconsin.
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“We know that we all do better when we all do better. We are standing up for the workers of Wisconsin and we’re letting them know that we have their backs,” said Sargent.
No Republicans have signed on as cosponsors. One concern some of them have expressed is the potential of job loss.
“(The proposal) is going to have a huge, negative impact on small business all across Wisconsin,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. “My preference would be to make sure we have more worker training, giving everybody an opportunity to succeed.”
Republican lawmakers have resisted past attempts to raise the minimum wage for that same reason.
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