---
title: HB 321. Vincent Fort Living Wage Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb321
cite_as: HB 321, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb321
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb321.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb321/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70032
date: 2025-02-11
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb320.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb322.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb321.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 321
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-06
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - El-Mahdi Holly
  - Dewey McClain
  - Viola Davis
  - Bryce Berry
  - Spencer Frye
  - Gabriel Sanchez
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB321/2025
upstream_id: 1960987
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - minimum wage
  - labor law
  - workers pay
  - employment law
---

# HB 321. Vincent Fort Living Wage Act; enact

## Text

House Bill 321
By: Representatives Holly of the 116th, McClain of the 109th, Davis of the 87th, Berry of the
56th, Frye of the 122nd, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 34-4-3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
amount of minimum wage to be paid by employers, so as to increase the state minimum
wage to a living wage; to provide for related matters; to provide for a short title; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Vincent Fort Living Wage Act."
SECTION 2.
Code Section 34-4-3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to amount of
minimum wage to be paid by employers, is amended by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Code section, every employer, whether a person,
firm, or corporation, shall pay to all covered employees a minimum wage which shall be
not less than <del>$5.15</del> <ins>$15.00</ins> per hour for each hour worked in the employment of such
employer."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

House Bill 321 would raise Georgia's state minimum wage from $5.15 to $15.00 per hour, affecting employers and workers covered by state minimum wage law.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia's current state minimum wage law (O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3) sets a wage floor of $5.15 per hour, a figure that has long been superseded in practice by the higher federal minimum wage for most workers. This bill rewrites that state law to raise the minimum to $15.00 per hour for every hour worked by covered employees.
The bill gives itself a short title, the "Vincent Fort Living Wage Act," naming it after former state senator Vincent Fort. Beyond changing the dollar figure, the bill does not add new exemptions, enforcement mechanisms, or phase-in schedule; the increase would apply as soon as the amended Code section takes effect. It also repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new wage floor.

### What it does

- Raises the state minimum wage set in Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3) from $5.15 per hour to $15.00 per hour for covered employees.
- Applies to every employer, whether an individual, firm, or corporation, that is covered by the state minimum wage law.
- Names the bill the "Vincent Fort Living Wage Act" as its official short title.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with the new $15.00 per hour minimum wage requirement.

### Who it affects

Georgia employers of all types, including individuals, firms, and corporations, that are covered by the state minimum wage law, and the employees they pay who fall under that law's coverage rather than being paid solely under federal minimum wage rules.

### Why it matters

If enacted, workers covered by Georgia's state minimum wage law would see their wage floor nearly triple, from $5.15 to $15.00 per hour. Employers covered by this state law would need to adjust pay to meet the new minimum, changing labor costs for those businesses.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 gives the bill the short title "Vincent Fort Living Wage Act."
- Section 2 rewrites subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3 to change the minimum wage figure from $5.15 to $15.00 per hour for covered employees.
- Section 3 repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this new minimum wage requirement.
- The bill does not specify a delayed effective date or phase-in period beyond standard enactment.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-02-06)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-11)
- Sponsors: El-Mahdi Holly, Dewey McClain, Viola Davis, Bryce Berry, Spencer Frye, Gabriel Sanchez
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70032

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb321.md?full=1