State Senator Christine Tartaglione (D–2, Philadelphia) has formally introduced Senate Bill 19, a legislation aimed at raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 and tying future increases to the cost of living. The bill also strengthens wage protections for tipped employees and modernizes enforcement tools to prevent wage theft and ensure fair pay across the Commonwealth.
“It’s been 19 years since Pennsylvania last raised its minimum wage,” said Senator Tartaglione. “In that time, the cost of rent, food, childcare, transportation, and healthcare has steadily increased, while wages at the bottom have remained stagnant. Senate Bill 19 is an effort to correct nearly two decades of inaction and to provide workers with a living wage that reflects today’s economic realities.”
At $7.25 an hour, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage remains at the federal floor, unchanged since 2006. Every neighboring state, including those with a lower cost of living, has increased its minimum wage in recent years. In fact, 30 states across the country have taken action to raise wages, leaving Pennsylvania behind both economically and competitively.
Senate Bill 19 would raise the statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour beginning in 2026 with cost-of-living adjustments triggering each year thereafter, ensuring that wages keep pace with inflation in the years to come. The legislation also sets the tipped wage at 70 percent of the minimum wage, reaffirms that gratuities are the property of the employee, and provides municipalities the authority to set higher local minimums.
“We cannot ignore the impact of rising prices, particularly in light of new federal tariffs that are expected to increase the cost of everyday goods like groceries, medicine, clothing, and household essentials,” Senator Tartaglione said. “The burden of these increases will fall heaviest on the people earning the least, and we have a responsibility to act.”
According to estimates from the Keystone Research Center, over 1.3 million Pennsylvanians would see their wages rise directly or indirectly under this proposal. These workers are overwhelmingly adults, many of whom serve in essential roles such as home health aides, childcare providers, grocery clerks, and restaurant servers.
“Raising the minimum wage is not just a matter of economic policy, it is a moral and practical necessity,” said Senator Tartaglione. “When people are paid fairly, families are more stable, communities are stronger, and businesses thrive. This legislation is about restoring dignity to work and ensuring that no one who works full-time is forced to live in poverty.”
The legislation has been assigned bill number 19 to mark the 19 years Pennsylvania has gone without increasing its minimum wage. Senator Tartaglione noted her willingness to work across the aisle to advance the bill and emphasized that securing a long-overdue wage increase should not be viewed as a partisan issue.
“We have the opportunity and the obligation to get this right,” she concluded. “This is not about politics—this is about people. The time for excuses has passed. The time to raise the wage is now.”
