Shapiro wants a $15 minimum wage to be 'Act 1 of 2027.' This session's bill has sat in a Senate committee since March

Gov. Josh Shapiro told supporters in Pittsburgh on Saturday that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is his top priority and predicted it would be "Act 1 of 2027," the first law of the next legislative session, WESA reported. He also listed adding abortion rights to the state constitution and expanding the time sexual abuse victims have to sue. Shapiro said Senate Republicans have blocked his priorities "for years," according to WESA.

For workers, the stakes are concrete. Pennsylvania's minimum wage is $7.25, the federal floor, and New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland are all at $15, WPSU reported in March.

What the records add

The current bill. House Bill 2189, from Rep. Jason Dawkins, a Philadelphia Democrat, would raise the wage to $11 in 2027, $13 in 2028 and $15 in 2029, then adjust it for inflation starting in 2030, according to WPSU. All 12 co-sponsors listed on the bill page are Democrats.

How the House voted. The House passed it 104-95 on March 24. Democrats voted 100-2 in favor, with Reps. Frank Burns and Christopher Rabb voting no. Republicans voted 93-4 against. The four Republican yes votes were Reps. Joe Emrick, Joe Hogan, Natalie Mihalek and Kathleen Tomlinson. Rep. Martina White was on leave.

Where it stopped. The bill was referred to the Senate Labor and Industry Committee on March 30 and has not had a committee vote in the 210 days since, according to its history. A resolution to discharge the committee, which would pull the bill to the floor without a committee vote, was presented on June 10, dropped from the calendar Sept. 29 and presented again Sept. 30. It has not been voted on.

Not the first time. WPSU reported that the House also passed minimum wage increases in 2023 and 2025, and the Senate did not pass either. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, an Indiana County Republican, has said a "commonsense adjustment" that accounts for small businesses and nonprofits is possible, according to WPSU. Sen. Dan Laughlin, an Erie County Republican, proposed an $11 minimum that didn't gain traction, the station reported.

House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, a Bedford County Republican, argued in March that the bill would not accomplish its goals and could cost entry-level jobs, WPSU reported.

The other items on the list

• Sexual abuse lawsuits. The House has passed a constitutional amendment for a lawsuit window; the Senate has not passed one this session, Spotlight PA reported. We covered the bills' history last week.
• Abortion rights. A constitutional amendment has to pass both chambers in two consecutive sessions and then go to voters, WESA noted.
• Skill games. Shapiro said the issue is "largely now in the rearview mirror," WESA reported. Our earlier article covers how the last deal fell apart.

What happens next

The Senate has two voting days left this session, Nov. 17 and 18, according to its session calendar. Any bill that isn't passed by both chambers by the end of the session dies and must be reintroduced in January.

Whether a $15 wage can be "Act 1" depends partly on the Nov. 3 election. Republicans hold a 27-23 majority in the Senate, and Democrats would need to flip that and keep the House to change who controls the agenda, WESA reported. Our look at the Senate races shows how the targeted senators voted this session.