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PRESS RELEASE
City and County Executives Join in Support of Statewide Minimum Wage Increase
BALTIMORE, MD. — Mayor Catherine E. Pugh, along with County Executives from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s joined together today in voicing their strong endorsement of newly-proposed Maryland General Assembly legislation to raise the statewide minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023. The legislation will phase in the wage increase over five years, and tie future increases to the Consumer Price Index.
The proposed legislation, House Bill 166 (HB 166) and Senate Bill 280 (SB280), begins phasing in a new statewide minimum wage on July 1, 2019. The state’s current minimum wage, $10.10 per hour, went into effect in 2018. The General Assembly’s bills raise the wage to $11 per hour in 2019, and then $1 per hour each year until reaching $15 per hour in 2023.
"I'm tired of reports that show wealth growing at the top while the people doing the toughest jobs in our county can't afford rent, childcare, or health insurance," said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman. "They told us that cutting the corporate tax rate would give employers the windfall they needed to take care of their workers, but that hasn't happened. By raising our minimum wage we are putting that windfall to work for the people who need it."
“The General Assembly’s effort to increase the minimum wage reflects my administration’s sustained advocacy on behalf of workers throughout Baltimore City, and my own endorsement of increasing the minimum wage during my time as Senate Majority Leader in Annapolis,” said Mayor Catherine E. Pugh. “I have consistently maintained that this is a regional issue and that increasing the minimum wage in one jurisdiction without doing so across our state is counterproductive. This legislation ensures a consistent approach for enabling hardworking individuals and families in Baltimore City and in our counties to keep pace with increases to the cost of living, while improving their living standards over time.”
“Every person deserves to go home every day with pride in their work,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. “I am proud to join my colleagues in support of House Bill 166 and Senate Bill 280 which offer a reasonable path to the $15 an hour minimum wage.”
“Maryland is one of our nation’s most expensive states in which to reside, yet too many Maryland workers cannot afford the basic cost of living or support their families, even if they work full time.” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Marylanders are individuals of character full of compassion toward our most vulnerable neighbors I was elected to support hard-working families and individuals working to improve our communities. Raising the wage in a thoughtful way will bring in new customers for small businesses, raising businesses’ bottom lines and increasing profits. I am proud to support House Bill 166 and Senate Bill 280 and encourage passage of these bills by the General Assembly.”
“When we passed legislation to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 in Montgomery County, we expressed our commitment to the belief that people who work deserve to earn a decent wage,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “I taught in a high-poverty school for 17 years and saw, up close, the effects of poverty on children and their families. Raising the wage helps them and helps the local economy; when poor families have money to spend, it is usually spent at local businesses. We need to raise the wage to $15, across the state, for all workers. If you’re working, and you still can’t feed your family and can’t keep a roof over your head, there’s something wrong with that.”
“I believe as the cost of living continues to increase across our region, it is critical that citizens, residents and those who work in Prince George’s County and this state, have the ability to earn a wage that allows them to care for themselves and their families,” said Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. “No one jurisdiction can achieve this on its own, because unless each city and county adopts the $15 minimum wage, it will not be a viable solution. For these reasons, I stand with my colleagues in support of this legislation.”
The current effort to raise the minimum wage includes a key clause that will protect Maryland’s workers from inflation devaluing the hourly rate moving forward. Beginning in 2024, increases in the state’s the minimum wage will be tied to the Consumer Price Index for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metropolitan Area, ensuring that the minimum wage keeps pace with inflation.
The bill also eliminates the tip credit through a phase-in through 2026, meaning that employees in fields where tipping is common will also be subject to the state’s full minimum wage. And the legislation includes protections for certain types of small businesses - cafes, restaurants, and other similar establishments - with adjusted gross incomes under $400,000 will not be subject to the legislation.
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