WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers in Annapolis have launched a drive to boost Maryland’s minimum wage.
“We’re going to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and we’re going to do it by the year 2023,” said state Sen. Rich Madaleno, D-Montgomery County, who is the bill’s chief sponsor in the Senate.
“This is important. It’s about economic fairness and moving forward,” he said.
The bill is sponsored in the House by Democratic Del. Shelly Hettleman of Baltimore County.
Both Montgomery County and D.C. recently passed laws gradually hiking the minimum hourly wage to $15 in 2020. “They’re already ahead of us,” said Madaleno, who points out that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam campaigned on a pledge to boost the minimum wage to $15.
“Maryland, hopefully Virginia will move forward, D.C. — we will have this across the metropolitan and mid-Atlantic region,” he said.
Madaleno also hopes to phase out the tip credit, which allows Maryland restaurants to factor in tips to reach the minimum wage. “It doesn’t make sense to subject these workers to a special lower wage,” he said.
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce said that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would threaten jobs and damage the competitiveness of businesses in the state.
