Louisiana House Labor committee hears heated debate on two minimum-wage bills; one moves forward, another fails
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Summary
After more than an hour of testimony and public comment, the committee reported Representative Phelps's minimum-wage measure and rejected a separate bill by Representative Boyd. Proponents framed the change as a poverty remedy; businesses warned of cost and hiring impacts.
Representative Phelps asked the House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee to establish a statewide minimum wage and a multi-step path to increase pay for low-wage workers. "It would establish a minimum wage for the first time in this state," Jan Mueller of Invest in Louisiana told the committee, saying the bill would set $12 an hour starting 01/01/2027, rising to $15 by 2029 and then indexing to inflation.
The committee heard more than an hour of debate. Youth and worker advocates offered personal testimony. Ten-year-old Kaylee Peebles said, "If someone is working every day, they should not still be struggling to live," and urged members to support HB353. Erica Zucker of the Workplace Justice Project argued the bill reflects rising living costs and ties future increases to the Consumer Price Index.
Business groups and small-business representatives warned of unintended consequences. Leah Long of the National Federation of Independent Business said many small employers worry about a "ripple effect" of wage increases that could reduce hours or hiring. "92% of small business owners do not support an increase in minimum wage," she told lawmakers.
Committee members pressed sponsors on timing, fiscal notes and workforce development. Multiple legislators asked whether training and other supports would better lift employees than a wage floor alone; sponsors and workforce officials pointed to parallel bills that increase training investments. Representative Larvadain moved to report HB353 favorably; the committee recorded the motion and the bill was placed on the committee report.
Separately, Representative Boyd's staggered-minimum-wage proposal (raising the wage to $10 in 2027, $12 in 2029 and $14 in 2031) failed on a roll call after opponents spoke to the potential impact on small businesses and staffing. The committee returned other workforce measures to discussion later in the day.
What happens next: HB353 was reported from committee for further consideration; HB209 failed to advance.
