The Illinois legislative session is officially in full swing in Springfield.  The House and Senate were in session last week, however, the House was sent home due to the extremely cold weather. The Senate stayed last week but legislative action was relatively slow. The Senate did, however, hold a subject matter hearing on raising the minimum wage in the State of Illinois. A proposed statewide $15 an hour minimum wage will be an 82 percent increase when fully enforced. The current minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25.  The Illinois Chamber of Commerce immediately voiced their concern.

The Chamber remains adamantly opposed “because it will harm small businesses, kill jobs and eliminate opportunities for the workers who need them the most. While efforts to mitigate the damage have been offered by proponents, none we have seen so far come close to justifying nearly doubling our minimum wage”.

The District of Columbia leads everyone with a minimum wage of $14 an hour. Three states share the top spot for minimum wage earning at $12 an hour. They are California, Massachusetts, and Washington.  The lowest minimum wage is $6.55 in Puerto Rico.

A minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is shared by 21 different states including the State of Iowa. Missouri was one of 18 different states to increase their minimum wage starting in 2019 and stands at $8.60 an hour.  Illinois’ minimum wage of $8.25 has been that way since 2008.

So we know how the Illinois Chamber of Commerce feels on the issue what about you?

More From 100.9 The Eagle, The Tri-States' Classic Rock Station