HB321: HB321 Vincent Fort Living Wage Act; enact

Georgia's minimum wage law (O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3) currently sets the state minimum wage at $5.15 per hour, a figure that has long been below the federal minimum wage, which is why most Georgia workers are actually paid under the federal rate instead. This bill rewrites that state law to raise the minimum wage employers must pay covered employees to $15.00 per hour for every hour worked. The bill gives itself a short title, the 'Vincent Fort Living Wage Act,' naming it after the late Georgia state senator known for advocating minimum wage increases. It also repeals any other state laws that conflict with the new $15.00 hourly rate. The bill does not change any other part of the minimum wage statute, such as exemptions for specific categories of employees.

• Rewrites subsection (a) of Georgia's minimum wage law (O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3) to raise the state minimum wage from $5.15 to $15.00 per hour.
• Applies the new $15.00 hourly floor to all covered employees paid by any employer, whether a person, firm, or corporation.
• Gives the bill the short title 'Vincent Fort Living Wage Act' for citation purposes.
• Repeals any existing state laws or parts of laws that conflict with the new minimum wage requirement.

Georgia employers of all types, including individuals, firms, and corporations, who must pay covered employees at least the new minimum wage. Covered employees across the state whose pay is set at or near the state minimum wage would see the wage floor in state law raised.

If enacted, the state minimum wage in Georgia's own statute would jump from $5.15 to $15.00 per hour, nearly tripling the legal floor for covered employees and employers not already following the higher federal minimum wage. This changes the wage employers are legally required to pay under state law.

• Section 1 names the bill the 'Vincent Fort Living Wage Act' as its official short title.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3(a) to change the minimum wage figure from $5.15 to $15.00 per hour for each hour worked.
• Section 3 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the new minimum wage amount.

1. 2025-02-11House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-10House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-06House Hopper (House)

• El-Mahdi Holly (D, HD-116)Primary sponsor
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
• Bryce Berry (D, HD-056)
• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)
• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)

• minimum wage
• labor law
• workers' pay
• employment law