Lawmakers in Ohio are attempting once more to raise the minimum wage in the state to $15 per hour.
House Bill 34, recently introduced by state representatives Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Ismail Mohamed (D-Columbus), would raise the minimum wage for workers by $1 per hour year until it reaches $15 per hour in 2030. The Ohio House Labor and Commerce Committee is currently considering the measure.
On January 1, Ohio raised the minimum wage for non-tipped workers to $10.70 per hour. At $7.25 per hour, the federal minimum wage is in effect.
According to a statement from Jarrells, Ohio’s minimum wage of $10.45 per hour is insufficient to support working families. Nobody should have to work more than one job to make ends meet. Increasing wages would help our economy grow, stabilize neighborhoods, and build families.
In accordance with H.B. 34, the minimum wage in the state would rise to $11 on January 1, 2026, $12 in 2027, $13 in 2028, $14 in 2029, and $15 in 2030.Additionally, for five years, the law increases the tipped minimum wage by $0.50 annually.
According to the measure, beginning in 2030, the director of commerce would thereafter modify the state wage on September 30 of each year, and the new salary would go into effect on January 1.
In 2006, Ohioans ratified a constitutional amendment that has raised the state minimum wage annually in accordance with the CPI.
Last November, a nationwide group called One Fair Wage made an unsuccessful attempt to place the minimum wage on the Ohio ballot. The group’s proposal, which would have raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2026, was not signed by enough people to be on the ballot, according to the Ohio Secretary of State.
According to Policy Matters Ohio, raising the minimum wage in Ohio to $15 per hour by 2026 would have helped around 1 million people, or roughly 5% of the state’s employment.
According to the Scioto Analysis, raising Ohio’s minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2025 would have saved 4,000 lives and boosted the state economy by $25 billion by 2036.
In an email, One Fair Wage stated that they want to try to get back on Ohio’s ballot but are unable to provide further details at this time.
The Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance strongly opposed One Fair Wage, arguing that if the minimum wage were raised to $15 per hour, restaurant owners would need to increase their menu pricing by roughly 20–30%.
During the last General Assembly, there were a few measures pertaining to raising the minimum wage in Ohio, however neither of them passed committee.
A bill presented by two Democratic state senators, Kent Smith and Hearcel Craig, would have raised the minimum wage in the state by $1 each year until it reached $15 per hour in 2027.
Republican state senator Bill Blessing introduced a bill that would have raised the wage to $15 by 2028 in an attempt to halt the constitutional amendment.
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