New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to tie the state’s minimum wage to increasing inflation is facing opposition from lawmakers and legislative leaders.
Hochul proposed in her executive budget to adjust the state’s minimum wage so it keeps pace with inflation. The proposal would go into effect after the state’s minimum wage reaches $15 per hour, likely in 2025.
However, a coalition of lawmakers is taking issue with Hochul’s plan to tie the minimum wage to inflation without first increasing it.
Senate Labor Committee Chair Jessica Ramos wants to increase the minimum wage to $21.25 by 2027, arguing that Hochul’s proposal falls short and doesn’t provide a living wage to New Yorkers.
The Business Council of New York State supports Hochul’s proposal if minimum wage changes are inevitable, but has questions about how the higher labor costs would impact small businesses.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins support increasing taxes on New York millionaires and billionaires to support more aggressive policy changes, but Hochul has committed to not raising income taxes in the next budget.
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