Like clockwork, Democrat lawmakers have once again filed legislation to increase the state’s minimum hourly wage — a proposal that threatens jobs and the current prosperous economy in Texas.
The minimum wage in Texas is currently set at the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. Obviously, this rate of income is not likely to help finance a summer trip to the Hamptons, but it’s not supposed to. Rather, entry-level jobs and wages are designed to introduce young and new workers to the workforce, allowing them to earn some money while gaining experience and the opportunity of upward mobility.
Wage mandates serve as an onerous mandate that could threaten to shutter local businesses and price new workers out from employment.
Multiple pieces of legislation filed by Democrat lawmakers in the both the Texas House and Senate would seek to increase that mandate.
State Reps. Chris Turner (D–Grand Prairie) and Senfronia Thompson (D–Houston) have filed bills to raise the rate to $10.10 an hour, with State Sen. Jose Menendez (D–San Antonio) filing similar legislation in the Texas Senate.
Going even further, Democrat State Rep. Ron Reynolds (Missouri City) filed a bill in November to raise the rate to an astounding $15 an hour — all while serving jail time behind bars.
When liberal cities like New York and San Francisco adopted $15 minimum hourly wages, many businesses were forced to shutter their doors. In fact, a recent study from Harvard Business School found that a $1 increase to minimum wage increased the likelihood of an average restaurant being forced to close by 14 percent.
Far from only killing businesses, the proposal also kills jobs as many places, such as McDonalds, bring in automated kiosks to replace costly employees.
Perhaps even more pernicious is legislation filed by State Rep. Lina Ortega (D–El Paso) and State Sen. Jose Rodriguez (D–El Paso), which would give counties and municipalities carte blanche to raise their own minimum wages as high as they would like.
Think $15 an hour seems high? Despite the disastrous effects of their $15 minimum wage, liberals in New York City have already begun to beat the drum to increase the number to $33.
One can only imagine how high the out-of-control Austin City Council would set their wage mandates, were the state to abdicate their own authority and give them the opportunity to do so.
Minimum wage legislation has not yet been referred to committee, as the 86th legislative session is still in its infancy. Should legislation reach the floor, it will be up to Republican lawmakers in both chambers to support the party platform and reject the Democrats’ job-killing proposals.
