Episode 35: Staying mum on the minimum wage

But this year GOP opposition seems to have thawed slightly.

• Katie Meyer
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Katie Meyer was WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief from 2016-2020. While at WITF, she covered all things state politics for public radio stations throughout Pennsylvania. Katie came to Harrisburg by way of New York City, where she worked at Fordham University’s public radio station, WFUV, as an anchor, general assignment reporter, and co-host of an original podcast. A 2016 graduate of Fordham, she earned several awards for her work at WFUV, including four 2016 Gracies.
  
  Katie is a native New Yorker, though she originally hails from Troy, a little farther up the Hudson River. She can attest that the bagels are still pretty good there.
  
  WITF's Capitol Bureau Chief Desk is partially funded through generous gifts made in the memory of Tony May through the Anthony J. May Memorial Fund.
  
  For more information about Tony May, click here.

 J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo

In this June 15, 2018, file photo, the Capitol is seen in Washington.

Lawmakers are busy negotiating the budget for next fiscal year, which starts July 1. By all accounts, things are going relatively well. But a few major proposals are still up in the air.

One of those is the minimum wage.

Pennsylvania’s wage is at the $7.25 federal minimum—lower than any neighboring state. It’s been a sore subject for Democrats for years, but Republicans have, historically, been staunchly against an increase.

This year though, that opposition seems to have thawed slightly. GOP leaders have said they may be open to a modest increase, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have confirmed that talks on the minimum wage are happening in relation to the budget.

It’s still not clear if anything will change. But as negotiations progress, a few potential paths forward have begun to circulate among rank-and-file members.

Marc Levy of the Associated Press joins us this episode to discuss where the issue stands, and where it’s likely to go.