NEW ORLEANS — Among the bills Louisiana lawmakers will debate in the coming weeks is a proposal to let voters decide whether to raise the minimum wage in our state.
That’s the topic of this week’s Commentary by Eyewitness News Political Analyst and Gambit columnist Clancy DuBos.
Experts say a living wage is $15 an hour. Individual states can set their own minimums, but Louisiana just uses the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, which took effect 10 years ago.
Governor John Bel Edwards wants to let voters decide if Louisiana should increase its minimum wage to $9 an hour, starting July 2020. Arkansas and Missouri voters recently raised the minimum in their states, and polls consistently show overwhelming voter support for a higher minimum wage in Louisiana.
Unfortunately for low-wage earners, state lawmakers consistently oppose raising it, at the behest of business lobbyists.
Voters will have a chance to keep, promote or toss out all state lawmakers in October. Maybe they’d also like to decide whether to raise Louisiana’s minimum wage.