Harrisburg, PA, March 25, 2025 – After nearly two decades of inaction, Senator Christine Tartaglione (D–2) has announced her introduction of Senate Bill 19, a continuing effort to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, with annual cost-of-living adjustments thereafter. The bill also ensures that tipped workers earn at least 70% of the minimum wage and strengthens protections against wage theft.
“It has been 19 years since Pennsylvania last raised its minimum wage. That’s 19 years of rising costs while wages have stayed the same.” said Senator Tartaglione. “No one working full-time should be stuck in poverty. Senate Bill 19 represents those 19 long years of inaction and injustice for working Pennsylvanians.”
Pennsylvania’s current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is the lowest allowed by federal law and has not increased since 2006. Every neighboring state has raised its minimum wage, leaving Pennsylvania as the least competitive labor market in the region. Thirty states, including many with lower costs of living, have moved forward while Pennsylvania has stood still.
Keystone Research Center estimates that raising the minimum wage will have an impact, directly or indirectly, on more than 1.3M Pennsylvania workers, many of whom are in essential industries such as home health care, childcare, retail, and hospitality. These workers, who help keep Pennsylvania running, deserve more than poverty wages.
Critics have long argued that raising wages would hurt small businesses or lead to job losses. Yet time and again, in states that have raised their minimum wage, small businesses have not shuttered, and local economies have grown. Higher wages mean more spending power in communities, more stable families, and a stronger workforce.
“This is not just a workers’ issue—it’s a family issue, a community issue, a Pennsylvania issue,” Tartaglione added. “Our workers deserve dignity. Our families deserve stability. Our economy deserves better.”
Senate Bill 19 also modernizes wage enforcement by:
- Allowing municipalities to set a higher local minimum wage;
- Strengthening penalties for wage theft;
- Ensuring gratuities are the sole property of the employee.
“The time for excuses is over. The time to act is now.” said Senator Tartaglione. “We cannot allow another year—or another 19 years—of inaction. I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation and give workers the dignified wage they deserve.”
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