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HR8555119th CongressWALLET
Living Wage For All Act
Sponsored By: Representative Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
Introduced
Summary
Index the federal minimum wage to two-thirds of the national median hourly wage. This bill would create a statutory path that raises the federal minimum in stages and ties annual adjustments to the measured national median. It sets separate phase-in schedules for large employers and other employers that reach $25 per hour by 2031 and 2038 respectively.
Show full summary
- Workers and households: Raises pay for low-wage workers through a multi-year phase-in and replaces the federal tipped subminimum with a graduated cash-wage schedule so tipped and non-tipped pay move together.
- Employers: Labels large employers as those with $1 billion or more in annual revenue or 500 or more employees. Large firms follow a faster ladder to $25 per hour by 2031, while other firms reach $25 by 2038.
- Youth, workers with disabilities, and incarcerated workers: Creates separate ramps. New hires under 20 get a temporary lower base that rises by up to $1.75 until the standard wage is reached, workers under 14(c) transition from a $5 per hour starting rate with capped annual increases, and many incarcerated workers gain coverage under the wage rules.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
New federal minimum wage path
This bill would set rising federal minimum wages on fixed ladders starting January 1, 2026. Workers at large employers would reach $25.00 by January 1, 2031. Workers at other employers would reach $25.00 by January 1, 2038. Each year's wage would be no higher than two-thirds of the national median hourly wage. The Secretary would publish the two-thirds median number at least 90 days before it starts. An employer would be "large" if annual revenue is $1 billion or more or it has 500 or more employees.
Phase-out of disability subminimum wages
This bill would change the Section 14(c) rules that let some employers pay subminimum wages to workers with disabilities. It would bar new certificates for employers that did not have one before enactment. Existing certificate wages would move to a transitional schedule starting at $5.00 in year 1 and rising each year by up to $1.75 until it equals the general minimum. If a worker's pre-enactment certificate wage is higher, that wage would continue. When the transitional wage equals the general minimum, the authority to issue certificates would expire and those certificates would have no legal effect.
Higher pay for tipped workers
This bill would replace the federal tipped minimum with a staged cash-wage schedule. For large employers the cash wage would be $6.00 in year 1, $9.00 in year 2, $12.00 in year 3, $15.00 in year 4, $18.00 in year 5, and then the general minimum after that. For other employers the cash wage would start at $4.75 in year 1 and rise each year by up to $1.75 until it equals the general minimum. Tips would remain the employees' property and employers would have to tell workers about that right. The separate tipped minimum would end one day after the cash wage equals the general minimum.
Higher pay for young workers
This bill would set a separate temporary wage for newly hired workers under 20. Newly hired under-20 workers would get $6.00 per hour for the first year. Each year after, that youth wage would rise by the lesser of $1.75 or the amount needed until it equals the general minimum. One day after the youth wage equals the general minimum, the separate youth minimum would end.
Wage protections for incarcerated workers
This bill would treat many people working while incarcerated as employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. It would apply when the worker is employed by the agency that runs the facility or a private contractor. The law would say the cost of board, lodging, and facility use cannot be counted as wages. It would also bar counting certain court-imposed fees as wages, and it would say those fees do not include child support, victim compensation, civil judgments, or criminal fines.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18]
CA • D
Sponsored 10/15/2026
Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1]
NM • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1]
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Menefee, Christian D. [D-TX-18]
TX • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]
MS • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Mejia, Analilia [D-NJ-11]
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3]
AZ • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7]
AZ • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35]
TX • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24]
FL • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17]
PA • D
Sponsored 5/4/2026
Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6]
WA • D
Sponsored 5/4/2026
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 6/8/2026
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
WI • D
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]
GA • D
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 7/22/2026
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/2/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov