Democratic lawmakers push for allowing local governments to set minimum wages

A local minimum wage isn’t allowed right now but it could be in the future.

A local wage bill has been proposed by a group of Democratic lawmakers in Wisconsin.

The bill would allow local governments to set minimum wages that are higher than the state minimum to account for higher local costs of living.

The proposal would also allow for local changes to family and medical leave minimums.

State Senator Dave Hansen said it’s a must in some communities, where workers are struggling to keep up.

“We’re talking about people that go bankrupt or they lose their house. They can’t afford to do anything,” Hansen said. “We’ve got to do something that’s going to make it better. That includes increasing wages and having some form of medical leave, because it will make sense.”

Hansen acknowledges that the local minimum wage proposal might not get a whole lot of traction unless there’s a shift in power in Madison toward Democrats.