Democrats Close but Still Short Votes Needed to Pass $15 Minimum Wage

Roll Call is reporting that proponents of a $15 minimum wage remain bullish about the prospects of the House of Representatives passing a bill to incrementally double the current $7.25 federal standard over five years. The Raise the Wage Act has emerged as a top priority for many House Democrats, with 205 members (203 who can vote on the floor) co-sponsoring Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. Scott's legislation to gradually phase out the tipped wage and institute a $15 federal minimum wage. However, a small number of Democrats are concerned that the five-year time span for doubling the existing minimum wage is too quick for some states or regions where the cost of living is lower. Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.) has proposed a regional minimum wage that would set different schedules for hiking the federal standard based on costs of living in different geographic areas. For Scott and the House Democratic leadership to bring his bill to the floor, they will be targeting 22 undecided voting members. Only 11 of those 22 would need to back the bill on the floor for it to pass, assuming all 204 sponsors are present to vote "yes."