HARRISBURG, PA: Today, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) introduced a motion to force the Senate to vote to grant his June 10 discharge petition, which would force HB 2189 out of committee and placed on the full Senate calendar. This was not a vote on the discharge petition, but a vote on whether to present the discharge petition for a vote.
Senate Democrats voted unanimously to put a discharge petition on HB 2189, Dawkins’ representative bill to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 an hour over three years, to a vote. Meanwhile, Republican senators voted unanimously not to put the discharge petition to a vote.
Urging Senate Republicans to take action and directly address the affordability crisis by raising wages for thousands of workers, Senator Costa releases the following statement:
“On the 20thvol anniversary of the Pennsylvania Legislature’s last vote to raise the minimum wage, Senate Republicans voted in record numbers against even considering a minimum wage increase, denying thousands of PA workers a raise. The contempt that Republican senators have shown for workers earning less than $15 an hour is astonishing and shameful. Today’s vote made it abundantly clear that Senate Democrats stand with families struggling with the affordability crisis, while Senate Republicans sit on their hands and let workers suffer. Our caucus will never stop fighting for the pay raise our voters deserve.”
You can read more about the Senate Democrats’ Affordability Action Plan here.
