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Florida lawmaker pitches change to minimum wage
Elizabeth Fry reports
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Last November, Floridians voted for the minimum wage to eventually be raised to $15, but one state senator thinks that not everyone should get a bump in pay.
Instead, Sen. Jeff Brandes is proposing what he’s calling "training pay" for some individuals he describes as "hard-to-hire employees." He said, in the long run, the proposed changes would actually be beneficial to those workers who might not get very far in a highly competitive job market.
Under his proposal, convicted felons, those in the prison correctional system and young adults who are still under 21 years old would be included in the group he considers "hard-to-hire."
If his proposal passes, these individuals would be paid less than the $15 minimum wage.
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On Twitter, the senator explained the current unemployment rate is at least 20% for individuals such as felons or young adults With an increased minimum wage, he believes the unemployment rate is only going to get bigger and the proposal would actually help these individuals get jobs by evening out the playing field.
However, many Floridians can’t get behind the idea of paying some people less than others.
"I don’t believe they should be able to pick and choose who they want to pay and who they don’t want to pay," said Scott Pruitt. "They should be able to pick and choose who they hire on whatever way they want to hire. I’m not sure payment is the way to do that. I don’t think businesses choosing that is the way to go."
Some say that for those in the prison system or convicted felons, they deserve a second chance and a chance to get back on their feet.
"Everybody needs a second chance too, to not have money they might go out there and do something wrong again, so pay them," said Richard.
For teens and young adults who are still under 21, others argue that many of these individuals are helping their families put food on the table or even put themselves through college, so they shouldn’t be short-changed either.
As of right now, nothing is set in stone. Lawmakers could vote on these changes come November.