Panel sends $15 Illinois minimum wage plan to House floor
Source: Associated Press
John O'connor, Ap Political Writer
Updated 6:16 pm CST, Wednesday, February 13, 2019
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois House committee approved a measure Wednesday that would hike the state's minimum wage to $15 within six years, setting up the legislation for an immediate floor vote and delivery to a receptive Gov. J.B. Pritzker by next week.
The Labor and Commerce Committee voted 19-10 along party lines to advance Rep. Will Guzzardi's plan. It would bump the $8.25-an-hour rate to $9.25 on Jan. 1. After moving to $10 on July 1, 2020, it would increase $1 each Jan. 1 until 2025.
"Anyone in this state who is working for that wage will tell you they're not being compensated fairly," Guzzardi, a Chicago Democrat, testified. "They're being kept in poverty by being paid a wage that is less than the value of the dignity of the work that they put in every day."
The Senate approved the legislation last week. Pritzker, a Democrat, made a $15 minimum a centerpiece of his successful campaign last fall. He has instructed Democrats who control the General Assembly to send him a bill he can sign into law before his Feb. 20 address to unveil his budget proposal.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Illinois-House-hears-15-minimum-wage-plan-13612612.php
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They are acting like they will have to pay $15/hr tomorrow. 
