WASHINGTON, DC (July 18, 2019) - Today, the US House of Representatives voted to pass the Raise the Wage Act of 2019, which would raise wages for nearly 40 million workers. The Raise the Wage Act would increase the minimum wage to $8.55 this year and raise it gradually over the next six years, to $15 an hour in 2025. After 2025, the minimum wage would be adjusted annually to keep pace with growth in the typical worker's wages. The Act would phase out the outdated subminimum wage for tipped workers, which has been stagnant at $2.13 since 1991, and phase out the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities and workers under the age of 20.

[Below is a] statement by Tyrone Hanley, senior policy counsel for the National Center for Lesbian Rights:

'Today's House passage of the Raise the Wage [Act] is a long overdue recognition of struggling workers and families who stand to benefit from a $15 minimum wage, including 1.5 million LGBT people. Better wages are crucial for the LGBTQ community, because too many LGBTQ people simply can't make ends meet on current poverty wages. It's now time for the Senate to do their part to in getting workers and their families the wages they deserve.'

A recent study from the Williams Institute estimates that nearly 1.5 million LGBTQ adults would see an increase in earnings by 2025 if the minimum wage were increased. For more information on why the Raise the Wage Act is critical for the LGBTQ community, please refer to our factsheet [at www.nclrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/lgbtq-raise-the-wage.pdf].

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. www.NCLRights.org

Courtesy of the NCLR

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