Democrats' coronavirus relief plan would raise minimum wage to $9.50 this year

Workers protest for $15 minimum wage.
(Image credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

House Democrats are working on details of their graduated plan to raise the U.S. federal minimum wage to $15/hour.

Democrats are looking to include the first hike to the federal minimum wage since 2009 in President Biden's coronavirus relief bill. They plan to revise the proposal Tuesday, but it so far includes a quick increase from the current minimum wage of $7.25 to $9.50 within the year. It will then grow annually until hitting $15 in 2025. Meanwhile the tipped minimum wage of $2.50 will rise to $4.95 this year, and again increase until it matches the federal wage. The youth subminimum wage paid to people under 20 will also end up matching the regular minimum wage by 2027, and permits to pay subminimum wage will no longer be distributed.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.