DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa GOP lawmakers are forging ahead with legislation to ensure minimum wage increases are decided by the state - but they have no interest in raising Iowa’s this legislative session, according to Republican House leadership Thursday.
House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, a Clear Lake Republican, said the majority party wants the statewide minimum to be consistent, but doesn’t support increasing that wage. Iowa last raised its minimum wage in 2009.
“The caucus hasn’t expressed an interest in doing that,” Upmeyer said. “That’s not been one of their priorities this year.”
The House recently approved a bill blocking local counties and cities from raising minimum wages above the state level of $7.25. The measure now awaits action in the Senate. If approved, the move would mean workers in some Iowa counties that have approved higher minimums could see pay cuts.
Raises bringing the minimum wage above $7.25 an hour have been implemented in Johnson, Linn and Wapello counties, with additional increases planned. In Polk, the county with the state’s largest population, a phased-in raise is scheduled to start April 1.
House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, a Republican from Windsor Heights, said the caucus does not feel pressure to increase the state wage, despite the multiple local increases.
“There are some people on sides of every issue,” he said. “I think it absolutely highlights the need for one uniform, statewide minimum wage.”
Emily Schott, a community organizer for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, has been advocating for a wage increase in the state. She said the organization is not surprised House Republicans won’t prioritize raising the minimum wage this session considering the nature of the pre-emption bill.
“It’s something that actively makes Iowans poorer and does not represent working people at all in the state,” Schott said.
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