Bill would increase Ohio minimum wage to $15 by 2029

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new bill proposed at the Ohio Statehouse would increase the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next four years.

Senate Bill 234, introduced by Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) and Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus), would gradually phase in the minimum wage increase between 2026 and 2029. The legislation was co-sponsored by five other lawmakers -- all Democrats.

The state's minimum wage would increase to $12 per hour beginning Jan. 1 and would increase by $1 each year, reaching $15 per hour on Jan. 1, 2029. Starting on Sept. 30, 2029, the director of commerce would adjust the rate annually, which would take effect the following Jan. 1.

The bill would also eliminate the tipped employee minimum wage, requiring all workers to earn the same minimum wage.

"This bill is about creating an economy that works for Ohio families, instead of one where minimum wage and tipped workers are working 60 hours a week to cover basic expenses," Smith said in a statement. "By ending the subminimum wage penalty and raising the minimum wage, we will alleviate poverty, grow our economy, and empower working Ohioans."

Ohio's current minimum wage is $10.70 per hour and $5.35 per hour for tipped employees. A constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2006 requires the minimum wage to be increased based on inflation.

"This bill is rooted in economic stability, fairness, and long-term prosperity," Craig said in a statement. "Our job is to put people first, which means raising the wage floor. As of January 1, 2020, more than half of all states and Washington, D.C., have a higher minimum wage than Ohio, and of the 27 states ahead of us, nearly a dozen are already above $15 an hour. Ohio can't afford to fall behind."

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, as is the state's minimum wage for companies with gross receipts smaller than $394,000.

A recent report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio found full time workers must earn at least $22.51 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Ohio.