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Legislation Introduced to Curtail Florida’s Planned Minimum Wage Hike

 

Back in November, Florida voters (narrowly) approved Amendment 2, a ballot proposal that will raise the hourly minimum wage rate in the state to $10/hour by September 30th and then subsequent annual increases to eventually raise wage rates to $15/hour by 2026.  Only a few short months after Amendment 2 was approved, legislation is being worked on to reign in who all would qualify for that wage hike.

Earlier this week, Florida Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeff Brandes filed a proposal that would modify Amendment 2 to provide a reduced wage hike for workers under 21 years old, those who have been convicted of felonies, for state prisoners, and for “other hard to hire employees.”  Interestingly, the proposal from Brandes does not currently define who exactly is a “hard to hire” person.

The legislation will be taken up when the Florida Legislature starts on March 2nd.  Should the legislation pass, however, it would not immediately take effect.  Rather, like Amendment 2, Florida voters would have to approve this legislation with at least 60% voting in support (since this would amend the Florida Constitution.)  Should that vote take place, Florida voters would not see it on the ballot until 2022.  Kick your feet up, this may take a while.


For additional information:  https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-minimum-wage-legislature-amendment-20210128-kqxvjet2jbgqzaihqjjbeckq4q-story.html

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