Likely helped
- No clear beneficiaries surfaced yet.
H.R. 122 (119th)Bill Overview
Original LAW Act
Labor and Employment|Housing finance and home ownershipLabor and Employment
Current stageCommittee
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does
<p><strong>Original Living American Wage Act or the Original LAW Act</strong></p><p>This bill increases the federal minimum wage according to a formula specified in the bill.</p><p>First, the bill increases the minimum hourly wage to $10.59 beginning on January 1, 2026, and increases the minimum hourly wage by $4 annually from January 1, 2027, through January 1, 2030.</p><p>Next, beginning on January 1, 2031, the Department of Labor shall increase the minimum hourly wage every seven years according to a specified formula. </p><p>The formula establishes the minimum hourly wage as the wage sufficient for a person working 1,799 hours per year (approximately 35 hours per week) to earn an annual income that is 40% higher than the federal supplemental poverty threshold for a renter family of four, with two children under the age of 18, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the preceding year. However, if this formula results in a reduction, the minimum hourly wage may not be lowered. </p>
Why people may split
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Watch point
The next hurdle is converting committee movement into a floor coalition.
<p><strong>Original Living American Wage Act or the Original LAW Act</strong></p><p>This bill increases the federal minimum wage according to a formula specified in the bill.</p><p>First, the bill increases the minimum hourly wage to $10.59 beginning on January 1, 2026, and increases the minimum hourly wage by $4 annually from January 1, 2027, through January 1, 2030.</p><p>Next, beginning on January 1, 2031, the Department of Labor shall increase the minimum hourly wage every seven years according to a specified formula. </p><p>The formula establishes the minimum hourly wage as the wage sufficient for a person working 1,799 hours per year (approximately 35 hours per week) to earn an annual income that is 40% higher than the federal supplemental poverty threshold for a renter family of four, with two children under the age of 18, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the preceding year.
However, if this formula results in a reduction, the minimum hourly wage may not be lowered. </p>
Passage38/100
This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.
CredibilityPartial
How solid the drafting looks.
Contention62/100
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
02 · What it does
Who stands to gain, and who may push back.
Likely benefits vs burdens0% / 100%
Likely helpedLikely burdened
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Likely burdened
- No clear downsides surfaced yet.
03 · Why people split
Why the argument around this bill splits.
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Progressive—
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Centrist—
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Conservative—
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
04 · Can it pass?
The path through Congress.
Introduced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Committee
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Floor
Still ahead
President
Still ahead
Law
Still ahead
Passage likelihood38/100
This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.
Why this could stall
- The next hurdle is converting committee movement into a floor coalition.
05 · Recent votes
Recent votes on the bill.
No vote history yet
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
06 · Go deeper
Go deeper than the headline read.
Included on this page
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.
Unlocked analysis
Pro readers get the full perspective split, passage barriers, legislative design review, stakeholder impact map, and lens-based policy tradeoff analysis for Original LAW Act.
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.
Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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