Today, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) along with Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2017 –  legislation that would immediately increase the federal minimum wage to $9.25 per hour, increasing the minimum wage gradually until it reaches $15 per hour by the year 2024. The legislation would increase the tipped minimum wage for workers who have not seen a salary increase since 1991. The bill has 31 Senate co-sponsors and 152 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.
  
MomsRising and its members strongly applaud the introduction of the Raise the Wage Act.  Raising the minimum wage is an important first step in bolstering family economic security and boosting the American economy. The Raise the Wage Act would provide much-needed raise to women in particular, who make up 56 percent of the minimum wage workforce nationwide, while increasing the financial stability of working parents and workers of color. Four out of every ten single working parents would receive a salary increase as a result of this legislation, meaning that nearly 23 million American families would see their incomes rise. The legislation would also raise tipped wage workers’ wages – who haven’t seen a salary increase since 1991.
 
Experts agree – raising the minimum wage would do more than just lift up moms and families across the country – it would give the American economy a much-needed boost, injecting billions of dollars into direct consumer spending.
 
Raising the minimum wage is good for women, good for moms, good for families and good for our nation’s economy. MomsRising’s more than 1 million members call on Congress to immediately consider this legislation and move quickly towards its passage.