<P> The federal minimum wage in the United States was reset to its current rate of $7.25 per hour in July 2009 . Some U.S. territories (such as American Samoa) are exempt . Some types of labor are also exempt: employers may pay tipped labor a minimum of $2.13 per hour, as long as the hour wage plus tip income equals at least the minimum wage . Persons under the age of 20 may be paid $4.25 an hour for the first 90 calendar days of employment (sometimes known as a youth, teen, or training wage) unless a higher state minimum exists . The 2009 increase was the last of three steps of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which was signed into law as a rider to the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007, a bill that also contained almost $5 billion in tax cuts for small businesses . </P> <P> In April 2014, the U.S. Senate debated the Minimum Wage Fairness Act (S. 1737; 113th Congress). The bill would have amended the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to $10.10 per hour over the course of a two - year period . The bill was strongly supported by President Barack Obama and many of the Democratic Senators, but strongly opposed by Republicans in the Senate and House . Later in 2014, voters in the Republican - controlled states of Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota considered ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage above the national rate of $7.25 per hour, which were successful in all 4 states . The results provided evidence that raising minimum wage has support across party lines . </P> <P> Since 2012, a growing protest and advocacy movement called "Fight for $15", initially growing out of fast food worker strikes, has advocated for an increase in the minimum wage . On March 27, 2014, Connecticut passed legislation to raise the minimum wage from $8.70 to $10.10 by 2017, making it one of about six states to aim at or above $10.00 per hour . In 2014 and 2015, several cities, including San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington passed ordinances that gradually increase the minimum wage to $15.00 . In 2016, New York and California passed legislation that would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 in each state . </P> <P> As of 2017, recent legislation was passed in multiple states to raise the minimum wage a certain amount in a certain amount of time . California is set to raise their minimum wage to $15.00 / hour by January 1, 2023 . Colorado is set to raise their minimum wage from $9.30 / hour to $12 / hour by January 1, 2020, raising $0.90 per year . Seattle passed legislation in 2015 for a raise in minimum wage; for employers of 500 or more employees without heath benefits, the minimum wage will be raised to $15.00 / hour by 2017, for employees with heath benefits, the minimum wage will raise to $15.00 / hour by 2018, for smaller employees the $15.00 / hour wage will be reached at different times . Seattle is one of the first cities to put in place a plan that after $15.00 / hour wage is reached, they will continue to increase minimum wage by a certain percentage every year based on inflation changes . New York has also recently passed legislation to increase their minimum wage to $15.00 / hour over time, certain counties and larger companies are set on faster plans than others . As there have only been a few places mentioned, cities and states across the United States are putting in place certain legislation to increase the minimum wage for minimum wage workers to a livable wage . Time will only tell the effects on the economy and number of jobs in those cities and states . </P>

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