Using a new arrow in its quiver, Senate Democrats put forth a discharge petition that would force Republicans to vote on a bill to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage.

A discharge petition is a means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee by “discharging” the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) filed the petition for House Bill 2189 that would increase the minimum wage in the Commonwealth to $15 over the course of three years, rising to $11 next year, $13 in 2028 and $15 by 2029. HB2189 was passed by the state House in late March by a 104-95 vote and is among 20 House bills remaining in the Senate Labor and Industry Committee.

“It’s long past time to raise Pennsylvania’s pitiful minimum wage and deliver a meaningful wage increase for thousands of hard-working Pennsylvanians,” said Costa in a statement. “We are an island among our neighboring states in our $7.25/hour minimum wage, and it’s a downright disgrace. The time is now to do the right thing, the smart thing, and the popular thing by raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. By filing today’s discharge petition, Senate Democrats are standing in solidarity with every worker earning less than $15/hour in demanding family-sustaining wages for every Pennsylvanian.”

House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) agreed with Costa.

“This is a disgrace, and it’s not a national disgrace,” said Bradford. “It’s a Pennsylvania-specific disgrace. The politics have a moral dimension, and the moral dimension means we need to act on a minimum wage of $15 an hour without adding further delay, without more of the B.S. politics.”

“My thought is if the House Democrats really wanted to raise the minimum wage, they could,” said Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) to WHTM-TV. “I would say that the Senate Republican House would be willing to negotiate on that. I’ve talked to many of them, but they don’t actually want to do it. They want to use it as a political trick so that they can get the majority in the Senate.”

The discharge petition must be brought up for a vote within 10 session days. While it is unlikely that it will pass a 27-23 Republican-controlled state Senate, it would force GOP members to vote yes or no on the issue during an election cycle for even-numbered districts.

Sen. Frank Farry (R-Bucks) is one Republican up for reelection and said he could get behind the bill.

“I have Sesame Place in my district,” Farry said. “If we make the minimum wage too high, Sesame Place isn’t gonna be able to hire the high school and college kids to staff the theme park, so we have to balance all those things.”

Currently, 34 states, territories and districts have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

Five states have not adopted a state minimum wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Three states, Georgia, Oklahoma and Wyoming, have a minimum wage below $7.25 per hour. In all eight of these states, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour generally applies.

In the Mid-Atlantic region, Pennsylvania’s $7.25 per hour minimum wage is well below neighboring states, including:

New York, $16.00
New Jersey, $15.92
Delaware, $15.00
Maryland, $15.00
Ohio, $11.00
West Virginia, $8.75

The Keystone Research Center, a source of independent analysis of Pennsylvania’s economy and public policy, estimates that 865,600 Pennsylvania workers would see their wages rise if lawmakers raised the minimum wage for all non-tipped hourly workers to $15 per hour. A minimum wage increase to $15 per hour would directly affect nearly half a million Pennsylvania workers (460,000) and indirectly affect 405,600 workers.

Gov. Josh Shapiro continued to call for the Senate to pass the legislation and put it on his desk.

“For more than 15 years, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour, falling further behind the cost of living and leaving hundreds of thousands of families struggling to make ends meet,” said Shapiro. “You shouldn’t have to work two or three jobs just to put food on the table and a roof over your head. We need to raise the minimum wage so Pennsylvanians have a real shot at getting ahead. The House has answered the call and passed legislation to raise the minimum wage three separate times – now it’s time for the Senate to follow their lead and get this done.”