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Bills/119th Congress · House

H.R. 2743

Introduced

Raise the Wage Act of 2025

Sponsor
DRobert C. "Bobby" Scott· Virginia
Introduced
April 8, 2025
Policy area
Labor and Employment
Latest action
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.April 8, 2025
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2743 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2743

To provide for increases in the Federal minimum wage, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 8, 2025

Mr. Scott of Virginia (for himself, Mr. Casar, Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. McBath, 
Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Mrvan, Ms. Ross, Mr. Takano, Ms. 
Tokuda, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Cleaver, Mr. Schneider, Ms. Underwood, Ms. Pingree, Ms. Kelly of 
Illinois, Mr. Keating, Mr. Tonko, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Foster, Ms. Tlaib, 
Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Ivey, Ms. 
DeGette, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Sherrill, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Norcross, Ms. 
Norton, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. 
Garamendi, Mr. Fields, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Budzinski, Mr. Quigley, 
Mrs. Ramirez, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Casten, Mr. Menendez, Mr. 
Horsford, Mr. McGarvey, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Omar, Ms. Titus, Mr. Vargas, 
Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. Simon, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Meng, 
Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Deluzio, Ms. 
Jacobs, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Lieu, Ms. DeLauro, 
Ms. Escobar, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Waters, Mr. Gomez, Ms. Chu, Ms. McBride, 
Mr. Connolly, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. 
Magaziner, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Wilson of 
Florida, Mr. Amo, Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Ms. 
Ansari, Ms. McClellan, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Barragan, Mr. 
Ryan, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Sewell, Ms. DelBene, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Sanchez, 
Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Mfume, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, 
Mr. Garcia of California, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Pettersen, Mr. 
Morelle, Mr. Mannion, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Crow, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Soto, 
Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Brown, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. 
Balint, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. 
Elfreth, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Craig, 
Mr. Frost, Ms. Strickland, Ms. Adams, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Subramanyam, Ms. 
Hoyle of Oregon, Ms. Kaptur, Ms. Dexter, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Gottheimer, 
Mr. Larsen of Washington, Ms. Friedman, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Kamlager-
Dove, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Courtney, Mr. 
Conaway, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Carson, Mrs. 
Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Bell, Mr. Olszewski, Mr. Figures, and Ms. 
Pelosi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To provide for increases in the Federal minimum wage, and for other 
purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Raise the Wage Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES.

(a) In General.--Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
``(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not 
less than--
``(A) $9.50 an hour, beginning on the effective 
date under section 7 of the Raise the Wage Act of 2025;
``(B) $11.00 an hour, beginning 1 year after such 
effective date;
``(C) $12.50 an hour, beginning 2 years after such 
effective date;
``(D) $14.00 an hour, beginning 3 years after such 
effective date;
``(E) $15.50 an hour, beginning 4 years after such 
effective date;
``(F) $17.00 an hour, beginning 5 years after such 
effective date; and
``(G) beginning on the date that is 6 years after 
such effective date, and annually thereafter, the 
amount determined by the Secretary under subsection 
(h);''.
(b) Determination Based on Increase in the Median Hourly Wage of 
All Employees.--Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 206) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(h)(1) Not later than each date that is 90 days before a new 
minimum wage determined under subsection (a)(1)(G) is to take effect, 
the Secretary shall determine the minimum wage to be in effect under 
this subsection for each period described in subsection (a)(1)(G). The 
wage determined under this subsection for a year shall be--
``(A) not less than the amount in effect under subsection 
(a)(1) on the date of such determination;
``(B) increased from such amount by the annual percentage 
increase, if any, in the median hourly wage of all employees as 
determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and
``(C) rounded up to the nearest multiple of $0.05, if the 
amount after applying subparagraphs (A) and (B) is not a 
multiple of $0.05.
``(2) In calculating the annual percentage increase in the median 
hourly wage of all employees for purposes of paragraph (1)(B), the 
Secretary, through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shall compile data 
on the hourly wages of all employees to determine such a median hourly 
wage and compare such median hourly wage for the most recent year for 
which data are available with the median hourly wage determined for the 
preceding year.''.

SEC. 3. TIPPED EMPLOYEES.

(a) Base Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees and Tips Retained by 
Employees.--Section 3(m)(2)(A)(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)(i)) is amended to read as follows:
``(i) the cash wage paid such employee, which for purposes 
of such determination shall be not less than--
``(I) for the 1-year period beginning on the 
effective date under section 7 of the Raise the Wage 
Act of 2025, $6.00 an hour;
``(II) $8.00 an hour, beginning 1 year after such 
effective date;
``(III) $10.00 an hour, beginning 2 years after 
such effective date;
``(IV) $12.00 an hour, beginning 3 years after such 
effective date;
``(V) $13.50 an hour, beginning 4 years after such 
effective date;
``(VI) $15.00 an hour, beginning 5 years after such 
effective date;
``(VII) $17.00 an hour, beginning 6 years after 
such effective date; and
``(VIII) for each succeeding 1-year period after 
the increase made pursuant to subclause (VII), the 
minimum wage in effect under section 6(a)(1); and''.
(b) Tips Retained by Employees.--Section 3(m)(2)(A) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)) is amended--
(1) in the second sentence of the matter following clause 
(ii), by striking ``of this subsection, and all tips received 
by such employee have been retained by the employee'' and 
inserting ``of this subsection. Any employee shall have the 
right to retain any tips received by such employee''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following: ``An employer shall 
inform each employee of the right and exception provided under 
the preceding sentence.''.
(c) Scheduled Repeal of Separate Minimum Wage for Tipped 
Employees.--
(1) Tipped employees.--Section 3(m)(2)(A) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)), as amended by 
subsections (a) and (b), is further amended by striking the 
sentence beginning with ``In determining the wage an employer 
is required to pay a tipped employee,'' and all that follows 
through ``of this subsection.'' and inserting ``The wage 
required to be paid to a tipped employee shall be the wage set 
forth in section 6(a)(1).''.
(2) Publication of notice.--Subsection (i) of section 6 of 
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), as added 
by section 5 and amended by section 6(b)(1), is further amended 
by striking ``or in accordance with subclause (II) or (III) of 
section 3(m)(2)(A)(i),''.
(3) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraphs (1) 
and (2) shall take effect on the date that is 1 day after the 
date on which the hourly wage under subclause (VIII) of section 
3(m)(2)(A)(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)(i)), as amended by subsection (a), takes 
effect.
(d) Penalties.--Section 16 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 216) is amended--
(1) in the third sentence of subsection (b), by inserting 
``or used'' after ``kept''; and
(2) in the second sentence of subsection (e)(2), by 
inserting ``or used'' after ``kept''.

SEC. 4. NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LESS THAN 20 YEARS OLD.

(a) Base Minimum Wage for Newly Hired Employees Who Are Less Than 
20 Years Old.--Section 6(g)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 206(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``a wage which is not less 
than $4.25 an hour.'' and inserting the following: ``a wage at a rate 
that is not less than--
``(A) for the 1-year period beginning on the effective date 
under section 7 of the Raise the Wage Act of 2025, $6.00 an 
hour;
``(B) for each succeeding 1-year period until the hourly 
wage under this paragraph equals the wage in effect under 
section 6(a)(1) for such period, an hourly wage equal to the 
amount determined under this paragraph for the preceding year, 
increased by the lesser of--
``(i) $1.75; or
``(ii) the amount necessary for the wage in effect 
under this paragraph to equal the wage in effect under 
section 6(a)(1) for such period; and
``(C) for each succeeding 1-year period after the increase 
made pursuant to subparagraph (B)(ii), the minimum wage in 
effect under section 6(a)(1).''.
(b) Scheduled Repeal of Separate Minimum Wage for Newly Hired 
Employees Who Are Less Than 20 Years Old.--
(1) In general.--Section 6(g) of the Fair Labor Standards 
Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(g)), as amended by subsection (a), 
shall be repealed.
(2) Publication of notice.--Subsection (i) of section 6 of 
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), as added 
by section 5 and amended by sections 6(b)(1) and 3(c)(2), is 
further amended by striking ``or subparagraph (B) or (C) of 
subsection (g)(1)''.
(3) Effective date.--The repeal and amendment made by 
paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, shall take effect on the 
date that is 1 day after the date on which the hourly wage 
under subparagraph (C) of section 6(g)(1) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(g)(1)), as amended by 
subsection (a), takes effect.

SEC. 5. PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.

Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), 
as amended by section 2(b), is further amended by adding at the end the 
following:
``(i) Not later than 60 days prior to the effective date of any 
increase in the required wage determined under subsection (a)(1) or 
subparagraph (B) or (C) of subsection (g)(1), or in accordance with 
subclause (II) or (III) of section 3(m)(2)(A)(i) or section 
14(c)(1)(A), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register and on 
the website of the Department of Labor a notice announcing each 
increase in such required wage.''.

SEC. 6. PROMOTING ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH 
DISABILITIES.

(a) Wages.--
(1) Transition to fair wages for individuals with 
disabilities.--Subparagraph (A) of section 14(c)(1) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)(1)) is amended to 
read as follows:
``(A) at a rate that equals or exceeds, for each year, the 
greater of--
``(i)(I) $5.00 an hour, beginning on the effective 
date under section 7 of the Raise the Wage Act of 2025;
``(II) $7.50 an hour, beginning 1 year after such 
effective date;
``(III) $10.00 an hour, beginning 2 years after 
such effective date;
``(IV) $12.50 an hour, beginning 3 years after such 
effective date;
``(V) $15.50 an hour, beginning 4 years after such 
effective date; and
``(VI) the wage rate in effect under section 
6(a)(1), beginning 5 years after such effective date; 
or
``(ii) if applicable, the wage rate in effect on 
the day before the date of enactment of the Raise the 
Wage Act of 2025 for the employment, under a special 
certificate issued under this paragraph, of the 
individual for whom the wage rate is being determined 
under this subparagraph,''.
(2) Prohibition on new special certificates; transition 
assistance.--
(A) In general.--Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
``(6) Prohibition on new special certificates.--
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary shall not issue a 
special certificate under this subsection to an employer that 
was not issued a special certificate under this subsection 
before the date of enactment of the Raise the Wage Act of 2025.
``(7) Transition assistance.--Upon request, the Secretary 
shall provide--
``(A) technical assistance and information to 
employers issued a special certificate under this 
subsection for the purposes of--
``(i) assisting such employers to comply 
with this subsection, as amended by the Raise 
the Wage Act of 2025; and
``(ii) ensuring continuing employment 
opportunities for individuals with disabilities 
receiving a special minimum wage rate under 
this subsection; and
``(B) information to individuals employed at a 
special minimum wage rate under this subsection, which 
may include referrals to Federal or State entities with 
expertise in competitive integrated employment.''.
(B) Effective date.--The amendments made by this 
paragraph shall take effect on the date of enactment of 
this Act.
(3) Sunset.--Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act 
of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)), as amended by paragraph (2), is 
further amended by adding at the end the following:
``(8) Sunset.--Beginning on the day after the date on which 
the wage rate described in paragraph (1)(A)(i)(VI) takes 
effect, the authority to issue special certificates under 
paragraph (1) shall expire, and no special certificates issued 
under paragraph (1) shall have any legal effect.''.
(b) Publication of Notice.--
(1) Amendment.--Subsection (i) of section 6 of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), as added by 
section 5, is amended by striking ``or section 14(c)(1)(A)''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
shall take effect on the day after the date on which the wage 
rate described in paragraph (1)(A)(i)(VI) of section 14(c) of 
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)), as 
amended by subsection (a)(1), takes effect.

SEC. 7. GENERAL EFFECTIVE DATE.

Except as otherwise provided in this Act, this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the first day of the 
third month that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act.
<all>

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