SALT LAKE CITY — Senators Mitt Romney and Tom Cotton of Arkansas announced they will introduce a bill to raise the national minimum wage and require employers to verify the employment eligibility status of its workers.
Millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet. I’m introducing a bill with @SenTomCotton that would increase the minimum wage while ensuring businesses cannot hire illegal immigrants. We must protect American workers.
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) February 16, 2021
“Congress hasn’t raised the minimum wage in more than a decade, leaving many Americans behind,” Romney added. “Our proposal gradually raises the minimum wage without costing jobs, setting it to increase automatically with inflation, and requires employers to verify the legal status of workers.”
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Today, Americans have to compete against millions of illegal immigrants who take illegally low wages under the table.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) February 16, 2021
We can fix this by requiring employers to verify the legal status of every worker so they can’t undercut Americans on the black market.
Senator Cotton also emphasized that the bill would not take effect during the pandemic, and that small businesses would be protected.
Here in Utah, State Representatives Clare Collard (D-District 22) and Ashlee Mathews (D-District 38) have introducted bills to raise the minimum wage above the current rate of $7.25/hour.
Rep. Collard's bill, HB 284, would raise the minimum wage to $12/hour by 2022, with a cap of $15/hour by 2026. Rep. Mathews' bill, HB 361, would raise it to $11.25/hour by 2027, with adjustments made for inflation for every year thereafter.
