Will there be a gradual minimum wage increase?

​In the latest relief package, Democratic lawmakers included a bill that would gradually raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. However, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, recently introduced a nonbinding amendment excluding a wage increase from the relief package, making it difficult to pass in the Senate. Small businesses, who have been devastated by the pandemic, are struggling to stay in business and increasing the minimum wage would add another challenge. Employers need to really keep an eye on this impactful legislation and let representatives know how businesses could be affected.