Delaware’s minimum wage could be among the highest in the nation under a new bill set to be introduced in the state Senate.
Sen. Robert Marshall’s (D-Wilmington West) proposal would hike the state’s minimum wage to $10.25 per hour by 2019 and tie the figure to inflation from 2019 on.Those four 50-cent increases would come between 2016 and 2019.
Marshall spearheaded the last minimum wage increase last year that will boost that figure to $8.25 this June. Originally, the bill included a tie to inflation, but it was later amended out.
The longtime senator co-chaired a task force this past year that collected an overwhelming amount of public testimony calling for a higher minimum wage.
In a statement, Marshall said, “I think this represents an effort to take a realistic look at what the labor market needs to pay to keep people who are working fulltime from falling deeper into poverty.”
No timeline has been set for introducing the bill.