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One To Keep An Eye On: House Bill 937 (Texas)


As with many employment & labor law related cases (and bills) being litigated around the country, there are always a few that stand out.  This is one to keep an eye on.


Recently, House Bill 937 was introduced in the Texas Legislature and seeks to raise the state's minimum wage rate to $10.10/hour over a five year time frame.  The current hourly wage rate ($7.25/hour) has been in effect since 2009 and minimum wage advocates are aggressively attempting to use this bill to jump start the discussion on a higher hourly wage rate in Texas.  State Representative Safronia Thompson (a Democrat from the Houston area) is championing this piece of legislation after a similar measure she supported in the last legislative session failed to pass.

Note, there are other bills currently circulating in the Legislature which seek to raise the minimum wage rate to $15/hour.  At this point, it is still too early to say whether any of these bills will become law.  I think the only realistic bill that could pass is House Bill 937.  Then again, with Republicans in control of the state Legislature (and a Republican Governor who would have the ability to veto the legislation if it were to pass), I would not necessarily hold my breath that this bill will become a reality.  Then again, if a somewhat conservative state like Arizona can increase its minimum wage rate, maybe there is hope for hourly workers in Texas?  (Although keep in mind that the hourly wage rate in Arizona increased because of a ballot measure this past November...whereas House Bill 937 is only in the hands of a Republican controlled Legislature, not the voters...).


For additional information:  https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-democrats-push-least-10-10-minimum-wage/

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