The version of House Bill 278 approved by the committee Tuesday eliminated some provisions in the bill approved by another committee earlier this session that would have incrementally raised the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour between 2016 and 2018. Today’s change addresses confusion about the three-year incremental increase by raising the minimum wage one time only, said the bill sponsor, House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg.
“So this body would have the opportunity to come back and review that, obviously next year, if this bill were to become law,” said Stumbo.
The state’s current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has not been raised since 2009. Stumbo, who has proposed a minimum-wage increase several times in recent years, said an estimated 26,000 Kentuckians currently work a minimum wage job.
The minimum wage increase proposed in HB 278 would not apply to companies with an average annual gross sales volume of less than $500,000, the bill states.
Provisions in the original bill that would prohibit wage discrimination based on sex, race or national origin for employees who perform equivalent jobs were retained in the measure passed by the committee today.
HB 278 now goes to the full House for consideration.
