S. 2785 · 118th Congress
Higher Wages for American Workers Act of 2023
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 118th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
CottonSponsor5 cosponsors · 5 R
5 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill increases the federal minimum wage, permanently establishes the E-Verify system and requires its use, and contains other related provisions.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Sep 13, 2023
Higher Wages for American Workers Act of 2023
This bill increases the federal minimum wage, permanently establishes the E-Verify system and requires its use, and contains other related provisions.
Specifically, the bill increases the minimum wage to $11 per hour, phased in over five years (six years for businesses with fewer than 20 employees), from the current rate of $7.25 per hour. The bill also phases in over three years an increase of the minimum wage for new employees younger than 20 years old from $4.25 to $6 per hour, and increases the length of time an employee may be paid this lower minimum wage. Both minimum wages shall be adjusted according to the rate of inflation every two years thereafter.
The bill also requires employers to use E-Verify to electronically verify the employment eligibility of new employees, with phased-in deadlines that generally require all employers to comply within 18 months of this bill's enactment. This bill provides for various requirements related to E-Verify, including requiring employers to examine and verify certain identifying documents belonging to the employee.
The bill increases civil penalties for various violations related to hiring, recruiting, and referring ineligible individuals. Repeated violators may be debarred from receiving federal contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. The bill also increases criminal fines for violators that engage in a pattern or practice of violations.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Higher Wages for American Workers Act of 2023
Latest action (Sep 13, 2023): Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Policy area: Immigration · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Sep 13, 2023
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.