Bill Raising Federal Minimum Wage To $15 Heads To U.S. House Floor

House labor committee Chairman Bobby Scott, D-Va., has shepherded through his committee a bill that would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 from $7.25 by 2024.Updated at 4: 25 p.m. ETA bill to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour has cleared a legislative hurdle that sets it up for a vote by the House of Representatives in the coming weeks.This move in Congress is a sign of broader political momentum for the minimum wage issue, long embraced by progressives who were key to the Democrats taking control of the House. It would raise the federal hourly minimum to $15 by 2024 and also phase out the so-called "subminimum" wages for tipped workers, young workers and workers with disabilities."After nearly 10 years with no increase in the federal minimum wage, minimum-wage workers have suffered a 17 percent pay cut due to inflation," said Chairman Bobby Scott, D-Va., who had introduced the Raise the Wage Act. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office said he will bring the Raise the Wage Act to the House floor for a vote in the coming weeks."One job should be enough to live in this country," said Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich.The federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 an hour for a decade, even as inflation makes every dollar less valuable over time.