Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case f…
The LIFT Act raises the federal minimum wage in stages to $17.00 within 24 months, then indexes future increases to changes in the median hourly wage.
It phases out many subminimum wage provisions, raises base pay for tipped workers and prohibits employers from keeping tips, increases civil penalties, protects Wage and Hour investigators from RIFs, funds state enforcement grants, creates a hospitality advisory committee, and makes permanent and expands COVID-era Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) improvements.
Broad, costly, and ideologically charged labor reforms face significant legislative and stakeholder hurdles despite phased rollout.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a substantive statutory reform with well-specified legal mechanics for wage increases and indexing, and with added administrative and advisory elements. It is precise in statutory drafting and prescriptive about amounts and timing, but provides limited fiscal scaffolding and leaves certain implementation and transitional details to agency discretion.
Liberals emphasize poverty reduction and worker rights benefits.
Liberals emphasize poverty reduction and worker rights benefits.
Strongly supportive: the bill raises worker pay, ends many subminimum wage exceptions, strengthens tipped-worker protections, and expands the EITC to help low-income households.
It also funds enforcement and creates advisory capacity for hospitality-sector worker issues.
Cautiously favorable but pragmatic: supports raising pay and EITC expansion, while seeking evidence on employment, inflation, and state-level impacts.
Prefers measured implementation, evaluation, and targeted supports for small employers.
Generally opposed: views the bill as heavy-handed federal intervention raising labor costs, burdening small businesses, and expanding entitlement-like tax credits.
Concerned about job losses, price inflation, and reduced employer flexibility.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Broad, costly, and ideologically charged labor reforms face significant legislative and stakeholder hurdles despite phased rollout.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Liberals emphasize poverty reduction and worker rights benefits.
Broad, costly, and ideologically charged labor reforms face significant legislative and stakeholder hurdles despite phased rollout.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a substantive statutory reform with well-specified legal mechanics for wage increases and indexing, and with added administrative and advisory elements. It is prec…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.