Democratic Lawmaker Introduces 15 Dollar Minimum Wage in DE

Delaware State Senator Darius Brown, a Democrat from Wilmington has introduced legislation that would increase the First State’s minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour.

In introducing the legislation, Senator Brown said “Our job in the General Assembly is to enact laws that improve the lives of our constituents.” He noted that the average two-bedroom apartment in Delaware costs about 1,100 dollars a month, and that someone working full time earning the state’s current minimum wage would make 1,400 dollars a month, before tax deductions.

Previously, the General Assembly passed a bill last year to raise the minimum wage by 50 cents to it’s current 8.75 dollars an hour. A second 50 cent hike is slated to go into effect on October 1st, increasing the minimum wage to 9.25 dollars an hour.

Under the proposed increase in Senate Bill 105, the base minimum wage would increase to 11 dollars an hour in January 22, and then increase by 1 dollar each new year until it hits 15 dollars in 2024. The bill proposes at that point, Delaware’s minimum wage be tied to the consumer price index to ensure future increases take place automatically, rather than requiring legislative action.

Should Senate Bill 105 pass and receive Governor John Carney’s signature, Delaware would become the sixth state in recent years to raise it’s minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour. That includes nearby states of Maryland and New Jersey.