RI's $15 Minimum Wage Bill Headed To Gov. McKee's Desk

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island is on its way to a $15-per-hour minimum wage. Both chambers of the General Assembly cast their final votes on the legislation Tuesday, sending the bill to Gov. Dan McKee's desk to be signed.

The proposed law creates a stepped schedule, gradually raising the minimum wage by about $1 per year until it reaches $15 per hour in 2025. The current state minimum wage sits at $11.50 per hour, after it was raised last October.

Gov. Dan McKee is set to ceremonially sign the bill into law Thursday morning.

"At last, Rhode Island is on the path toward breaking the cycle of poverty for those at the bottom of the wage spectrum," said Rep. David Bennett, the bill's House sponsor. "Minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation over the decades, and our neighboring states have already taken this step toward making it closer to a living wage. This legislation is a long time coming, the result of many years of advocacy by many on behalf of working people."

Under the bill, the minimum wage would increase each Jan. 1 on the following schedule:

• 2022: $12.50
• 2023: $13
• 2024: $14
• 2025: $15

The Rhode Island Working Families Party reported that 61 percent of Rhode Islanders whose wages will be raised by the new bill are female, as well as 31 percent of all workers of color in the state.

"Raising the minimum wage lifts people out of poverty, particularly women and people of color who are vastly overrepresented at the bottom of the wage scale," said Sen. Ana Quezada, the Senate sponsor. "It will mean fewer children spending hours alone every day because their parents work two or three jobs to pay the rent. It will mean fewer people suffering from homelessness or food insecurity. It will mean more money spent at local stores and businesses, and more reliable income for landlords."

Rhode Island is not alone in the push for the $15 minimum wage. Nearby Massachusetts currently sits at $13 per hour, with legislation in place to bring it to $15 by Jan. 1, 2023. Connecticut, meanwhile, will rise to $13 in August, and is set to hit $15 on June 1, 2023.