Senate Democrats in Pennsylvania filed a discharge petition Wednesday to force a floor vote on raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour. The bill, passed by the House earlier this year, would raise the wage to $11 in 2027, $13 in 2028 and $15 by 2029. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has remained unchanged for two decades and is lower than every neighboring state’s.
House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, called the wage level “a Pennsylvania-specific disgrace.” The Senate must bring the discharge petition up for a vote within 10 session days.
Sen. Frank Farry, R-Bucks, said he would support a wage increase but wants changes for tipped and seasonal workers, citing staffing concerns for businesses such as Sesame Place. Rep. Josh Kail, R-Beaver/Washington, said Democrats were using the vote to help win a Senate majority in the November election.
Greg Moreland of the National Federation of Independent Business said day care centers already paying $15 an hour could face pressure to raise wages further or lose workers to other employers. The discharge petition now heads to the Senate floor for a vote within 10 session days.
Pennsylvania Residents Debate Whether Proposed Wage Increase Goes Far Enough
The proposal sparked debate among Pennsylvania residents, many of whom argued the state’s $7.25 minimum wage has lagged behind both inflation and neighboring states.
Some residents said the proposed $15 wage by 2029 would still fall short of what workers need.
“At most the $15 almost everywhere pays now despite we need at least $25 an hour for a min wage,” one user wrote.
Another added: “That’s what I’ve always said, about $25 per hour or $52,000 per year. But with inflation I think we need more than that now.”
Others focused on Pennsylvania’s standing relative to nearby states. “We need $13-$15 at least, we should not be a low income state,” one resident wrote.
Another replied: “West Virginia has a higher minimum wage.” A separate response added: “Every single state around us is higher.”
Some commenters argued the proposed timeline would leave workers behind rising costs. “2008 is the last time the federal minimum wage was increased and that’s just not right,” one user wrote. Another said: “We’ve been trying to get $15/hr for like a decade now, by 2029 that $15 will be as worthless as $7.25.”
Not everyone supported a higher wage floor. One resident questioned whether a significant increase could harm employers, writing: “If it’s too high then it will genuinely destroy small businesses.”
Another asked: “Won’t raising the minimum wage just make things cost more and employers fire more staff to afford the increase?”
The discharge petition must receive a vote within 10 Senate session days, leaving lawmakers to decide whether the House-approved wage increase advances before the end of June.
