HB 394: Labor and industrial relations; minimum wage for certain state employees; increase

Georgia's minimum wage law (O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3) currently sets a state minimum wage of $5.15 per hour, far below the federal minimum wage that already applies to most workers. This bill would raise that state-law minimum wage to $15.00 per hour for all covered employees. The bill also adds a new Code section creating a specific $15.00 hourly minimum wage for full-time state employees who are paid hourly for actual hours worked. It defines a full-time state employee as someone working at least 30 hours a week in an ongoing job paid directly by a state agency, but excludes the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia from that definition. This new state employee wage floor would take effect January 1, 2026. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Raises Georgia's state minimum wage under O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3 from $5.15 per hour to $15.00 per hour for covered employees.
• Creates a new Code section setting a $15.00 per hour minimum wage specifically for eligible full-time state employees paid hourly.
• Defines 'full-time state employee' as someone working at least 30 hours a week in an ongoing job paid directly by a state agency.
• Excludes the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia from the definition of state agency covered by the new wage floor.
• Sets January 1, 2026 as the start date for the new state employee minimum wage requirement.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these changes.

Employers and employees covered by Georgia's minimum wage law, and full-time hourly state employees working at least 30 hours a week for state agencies. University System of Georgia employees under the Board of Regents are not covered by the new state employee provision.

Because federal minimum wage law already exceeds Georgia's outdated $5.15 state figure, this change mainly matters for state government hourly workers, who would get a guaranteed $15.00 hourly floor starting in 2026, and it updates state law to reflect a higher baseline wage generally.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3(a) to change the state minimum wage from $5.15 to $15.00 per hour for all covered employees.
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 34-4-3.2, defining 'eligible full-time state employee,' 'full-time state employee,' and 'state agency.'
• Section 2 specifically excludes the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia from the definition of state agency.
• Section 2 sets the new $15.00 per hour minimum wage for eligible full-time state employees effective January 1, 2026.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-13House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-12House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-11House Hopper (House)

• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)Primary sponsor
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Kimberly Alexander (D, HD-066)
• Sheila Jones (D, HD-060)
• Derrick Jackson (D, HD-068)
• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)

• minimum wage
• state employees
• labor law
• wages and pay