The state’s hourly pay rate is among the lowest in the nation, currently matching the nationwide minimum of $7.25, which has not increased since 2009.
Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington, chair of the state's Democratic Caucus, said local economies and working families are long overdue for an increase. He explained Senate Bill 16 would also gradually increase the minimum wage in the years to follow.
"I mean, no one–no one–can live on $7.25 an hour, and we need to increase that to a point where we get to $15 an hour, in about three years after this legislation," Thomas argued.
The bill would also give local governments the authority to implement higher minimum wages. Thomas stressed it could help residents in cities such as Louisville or Lexington, where housing costs tend to be higher. Opponents of minimum wage increases have argued they hurt small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Thomas added that the majority of people in the Commonwealth working in minimum wage jobs are mothers, and in many cases, they are the sole providers for their children.
"We're talking about healthy working people," Thomas noted. "This is not a handout program. This is not a program that is given to people who are not working. We're trying to reward work."
A handful of states neighboring Kentucky have already implemented higher minimum wages than the federal rate. Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour would increase the income of around 27 million workers and lift more than a million families out of poverty, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office.
