LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A state senator wants to more than double Kentucky's minimum wage over the next five years.
Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington, plans to prefile legislation (Bill Request 498) that would raise the minimum wage in staggered increases over a period of five years.
By 2026, Kentucky's workers would be earning a minimum of $15 per hour. The state's minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2008.
"The global pandemic has brought to light many of the struggles working Kentuckians deal with every day," Thomas said in a news release. "As the market rebounds and people return to work, they need a wage that is livable to support themselves and their families."
Thomas' legislation, which will be filed before the 2021 General Assembly begins in January, would also allow for individual cities to enact their own minimum wage laws and increase tip wages for servers and those in the food industry over the next four years.
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