Name: Outlook for $15-an-hour minimum wage boosted by new government report - Virginia Mercury
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Outlook for $15-an-hour minimum wage boosted by new government report - Virginia Mercury

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0:11News StoryAdvocates for raising the minimum wage rallied at the Capitol on the eve of the 2020 General Assembly. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)WASHINGTON— The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a &nbsp;Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers.The report could help Democrats make a strong case for including a gradual federal minimum wage increase in the $1.9 trillion relief package&nbsp;The reconciliation process allows legislation to pass on a simple majority vote in the Senate if it affects the federal deficit, and the CBO analysis found the minimum wage increase does that.The report said that 900,000 people would be lifted out of poverty and 17 million would experience a wage increase under the pay boost. In the United States, about 38 million people&nbsp;&nbsp;in poverty.Reliance on federal social programs such as nutrition programs would decrease, but the demand for programs such as unemployment benefits would increase, as the report found that 1.4 million jobs would be cut.House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) said in a statement that Monday’s report strengthens the case for gradually increasing the minimum wage in the COVID-19 stimulus package.The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 and the last time it was raised was in 2009, from $6.55 to $7.25.“This nonpartisan report shows that increasing the minimum wage will act as a direct and targeted stimulus for struggling workers and their families,” he said.“At a time when many of our essential workers are still not being paid enough to provide for themselves and their families, we must do everything in our power to give these workers a long overdue raise.”The Biden administration has pushed for a minimum wage hike in its $1.9 trillion stimulus coronavirus relief package, though the Senate passed a messaging amendment in its debate on the budget resolution barring an increase during a global pandemic.And not all Democrats agree with the increase.Sen.&nbsp;Joe Manchin, (D-W.Va.), a key vote in a Senate split 50-50, has said that he doesn’t support a $15 minimum wage. The minimum wage in West Virginia is currently $9.50 an hour and will go up to $10.25 this year.Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia have a higher minimum wage than the current federal wage.Florida recently&nbsp; an amendment that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Five states that don’t have a state minimum wage include Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Last year, Virginia lawmakers voted to to $12 an hour over three years.Xby Ariana Figueroa, February 9, 2021by Ariana Figueroa, February 9, 2021WASHINGTON— The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a &nbsp;Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers.The report could help Democrats make a strong case for including a gradual federal minimum wage increase in the $1.9 trillion relief package&nbsp;The reconciliation process allows legislation to pass on a simple majority vote in the Senate if it affects the federal deficit, and the CBO analysis found the minimum wage increase does that.The report said that 900,000 people would be lifted out of poverty and 17 million would experience a wage increase under the pay boost. In the United States, about 38 million people&nbsp;&nbsp;in poverty.Reliance on federal social programs such as nutrition programs would decrease, but the demand for programs such as unemployment benefits would increase, as the report found that 1.4 million jobs would be cut.House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) said in a statement that Monday’s report strengthens the case for gradually increasing the minimum wage in the COVID-19 stimulus package.The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 and the last time it was raised was in 2009, from $6.55 to $7.25.“This nonpartisan report shows that increasing the minimum wage will act as a direct and targeted stimulus for struggling workers and their families,” he said.“At a time when many of our essential workers are still not being paid enough to provide for themselves and their families, we must do everything in our power to give these workers a long overdue raise.”The Biden administration has pushed for a minimum wage hike in its $1.9 trillion stimulus coronavirus relief package, though the Senate passed a messaging amendment in its debate on the budget resolution barring an increase during a global pandemic.And not all Democrats agree with the increase.Sen.&nbsp;Joe Manchin, (D-W.Va.), a key vote in a Senate split 50-50, has said that he doesn’t support a $15 minimum wage. The minimum wage in West Virginia is currently $9.50 an hour and will go up to $10.25 this year.Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia have a higher minimum wage than the current federal wage.Florida recently&nbsp; an amendment that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Five states that don’t have a state minimum wage include Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Last year, Virginia lawmakers voted to to $12 an hour over three years.is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sarah Vogelsong for questions: . Follow Virginia Mercury on and .Copy to clipboard1RepublishOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

0:11News StoryAdvocates for raising the minimum wage rallied at the Capitol on the eve of the 2020 General Assembly. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)WASHINGTON— The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a &nbsp;Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers.The report could help Democrats make a strong case for including a gradual federal minimum wage increase in the $1.9 trillion relief package&nbsp;The reconciliation process allows legislation to...

Outlook for $15-an-hour minimum wage boosted by new government report - Virginia Mercury

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