SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Raise the Wage Act’’. 
SEC. 2. MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) except as otherwise provided in this sec-
tion, not less than— 
‘‘(A) $8.40 an hour, beginning on the ef-
fective date under section 7 of the Raise the 
Wage Act; 
‘‘(B) $9.50 an hour, beginning 1 year after 
such effective date; 
‘‘(C) $10.60 an hour, beginning 2 years 
after such effective date; 
‘‘(D) $11.70 an hour, beginning 3 years 
after such effective date; 
‘‘(E) $12.80 an hour, beginning 4 years 
after such effective date; 
‘‘(F) $13.90 an hour, beginning 5 years 
after such effective date; 
‘‘(G) $15.00 an hour, beginning 6 years 
after such effective date; and 
‘‘(H) beginning on the date that is 7 years 
after such effective date, and annually there-
after, the amount determined by the Secretary 
under subsection (h);’’. 
(b) DETERMINATION BASED ON INCREASE IN THE 
MEDIAN HOURLY WAGE OF ALL EMPLOYEES.—Section 
6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
206) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(h)(1) Not later than each date that is 90 days be-
fore a new minimum wage determined under subsection 
(a)(1)(H) is to take effect, the Secretary shall determine 
the minimum wage to be in effect under this subsection 
for each period described in subsection (a)(1)(H). The 
wage determined under this subsection for a year shall 
be— 
‘‘(A) not less than the amount in effect under 
subsection (a)(1) on the date of such determination; 
‘‘(B) increased from such amount by the annual 
percentage increase, if any, in the median hourly 
wage of all employees as determined by the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics; and 
‘‘(C) rounded up to the nearest multiple of 
$0.05. 
‘‘(2) In calculating the annual percentage increase in 
the median hourly wage of all employees for purposes of 
paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary, through the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, shall compile data on the hourly wages
of all employees to determine such a median hourly wage 
and compare such median hourly wage for the most recent 
year for which data are available with the median hourly 
wage determined for the preceding year.’’. 
SEC. 3. TIPPED EMPLOYEES. 
(a) BASE MINIMUM WAGE FOR TIPPED EMPLOYEES 
AND
TIPS
RETAINED
BY
EMPLOYEES.—Section 
3(m)(2)(A)(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)(i)) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(i) the cash wage paid such employee, which 
for purposes of such determination shall be not less 
than— 
‘‘(I) for the 1-year period beginning on the 
effective date under section 7 of the Raise the 
Wage Act, $3.60 an hour; 
‘‘(II) for each succeeding 1-year period 
until the hourly wage under this clause equals 
the wage in effect under section 6(a)(1) for 
such period, an hourly wage equal to the 
amount determined under this clause for the 
preceding year, increased by the lesser of— 
‘‘(aa) $1.50; or 
‘‘(bb) the amount necessary for the 
wage in effect under this clause to equal
the wage in effect under section 6(a)(1) for 
such period, rounded up to the nearest 
multiple of $0.05; and 
‘‘(III) for each succeeding 1-year period 
after the increase made pursuant to subclause 
(II), the minimum wage in effect under section 
6(a)(1); and’’. 
(b) TIPS
RETAINED
BY
EMPLOYEES.—Section 
3(m)(2)(A) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)) is amended— 
(1) in the second sentence of the matter fol-
lowing clause (ii), by striking ‘‘of this subsection, 
and all tips received by such employee have been re-
tained by the employee’’ and inserting ‘‘of this sub-
section. Any employee shall have the right to retain 
any tips received by such employee’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘An em-
ployer shall inform each employee of the right and 
exception provided under the preceding sentence.’’. 
(c) SCHEDULED REPEAL OF SEPARATE MINIMUM 
WAGE FOR TIPPED EMPLOYEES.— 
(1) TIPPED EMPLOYEES.—Section 3(m)(2)(A) 
of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
203(m)(2)(A)), as amended by subsections (a) and 
(b), is further amended by striking the sentence be-
ginning with ‘‘In determining the wage an employer 
is required to pay a tipped employee,’’ and all that 
follows through ‘‘of this subsection.’’ and inserting 
‘‘The wage required to be paid to a tipped employee 
shall be the wage set forth in section 6(a)(1).’’. 
(2) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.—Subsection (i) 
of section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), as amended by section 5, is 
further amended by striking ‘‘or in accordance with 
subclause (II) or (III) of section 3(m)(2)(A)(i)’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by paragraphs (1) and (2) shall take effect on the 
date that is 1 day after the date on which the hourly 
wage under subclause (III) of section 3(m)(2)(A)(i) 
of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
203(m)(2)(A)(i)), as amended by subsection (a), 
takes effect. 
SEC. 4. NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LESS THAN 20 
YEARS OLD. 
(a) BASE MINIMUM WAGE FOR NEWLY HIRED EM-
PLOYEES WHO ARE LESS THAN 20 YEARS OLD.—Section 
6(g)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 206(g)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘a wage which 
is not less than $4.25 an hour.’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘a wage at a rate that is not less than—
‘‘(A) for the 1-year period beginning on the ef-
fective date under section 7 of the Raise the Wage 
Act, $5.50 an hour; 
‘‘(B) for each succeeding 1-year period until the 
hourly wage under this paragraph equals the wage 
in effect under section 6(a)(1) for such period, an 
hourly wage equal to the amount determined under 
this paragraph for the preceding year, increased by 
the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) $1.25; or 
‘‘(ii) the amount necessary for the wage in 
effect under this paragraph to equal the wage 
in effect under section 6(a)(1) for such period, 
rounded up to the nearest multiple of $0.05; 
and 
‘‘(C) for each succeeding 1-year period after the 
increase made pursuant to subparagraph (B)(ii), the 
minimum wage in effect under section 6(a)(1).’’. 
(b) SCHEDULED REPEAL OF SEPARATE MINIMUM 
WAGE FOR NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LESS 
THAN 20 YEARS OLD.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 6(g) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(g)), as 
amended by subsection (a), shall be repealed.
(2) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.—Subsection (i) 
of section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), as amended by section 
3(c)(2), is further amended by striking ‘‘or subpara-
graph (B) or (C) of subsection (g)(1),’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The repeal and amend-
ment made by paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, 
shall take effect on the date that is 1 day after the 
date on which the hourly wage under subparagraph 
(C) of section 6(g)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards 
Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(g)(1)), as amended by 
subsection (a), takes effect. 
SEC. 5. PUBLICATION OF NOTICE. 
Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 206), as amended by the preceding sections, 
is further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) Not later than 60 days prior to the effective date 
of any increase in the required wage determined under 
subsection (a)(1) or subparagraph (B) or (C) of subsection 
(g)(1), or in accordance with subclause (II) or (III) of sec-
tion 3(m)(2)(A)(i) or section 14(c)(1)(A), the Secretary 
shall publish in the Federal Register and on the website 
of the Department of Labor a notice announcing each in-
crease in such required wage.’’.
SEC. 6. PROMOTING ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY FOR IN-
DIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. 
(a) WAGES.— 
(1) TRANSITION TO FAIR WAGES FOR INDIVID-
UALS
WITH
DISABILITIES.—Subparagraph (A) of 
section 14(c)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)(1)) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(A) at a rate that equals, or exceeds, for each 
year, the greater of— 
‘‘(i)(I) $4.25 an hour, beginning 1 year 
after the date the wage rate specified in section 
6(a)(1)(A) takes effect; 
‘‘(II) $6.40 an hour, beginning 2 years 
after such date; 
‘‘(III) $8.55 an hour, beginning 3 years 
after such date; 
‘‘(IV) $10.70 an hour, beginning 4 years 
after such date; 
‘‘(V) $12.85 an hour, beginning 5 years 
after such date; and 
‘‘(VI) the wage rate in effect under section 
6(a)(1), on the date that is 6 years after the 
date the wage specified in section 6(a)(1)(A) 
takes effect; or
‘‘(ii) if applicable, the wage rate in effect 
on the day before the date of enactment of the 
Raise the Wage Act for the employment, under 
a special certificate issued under this para-
graph, of the individual for whom the wage rate 
is being determined under this subparagraph,’’. 
(2) PROHIBITION
ON
NEW
SPECIAL
CERTIFI-
CATES; SUNSET.—Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)) (as 
amended by paragraph (1)) is further amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) PROHIBITION ON NEW SPECIAL CERTIFI-
CATES.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary shall not issue a special certificate under this 
subsection to an employer that was not issued a spe-
cial certificate under this subsection before the date 
of enactment of the Raise the Wage Act. 
‘‘(7) SUNSET.—Beginning on the day after the 
date on which the wage rate described in paragraph 
(1)(A)(i)(VI) takes effect, the authority to issue spe-
cial certificates under paragraph (1) shall expire, 
and no special certificates issued under paragraph 
(1) shall have any legal effect. 
‘‘(8) TRANSITION ASSISTANCE.—Upon request, 
the Secretary shall provide—
‘‘(A) technical assistance and information 
to employers issued a special certificate under 
this subsection for the purposes of— 
‘‘(i) transitioning the practices of such 
employers to comply with this subsection, 
as amended by the Raise the Wage Act; 
and 
‘‘(ii) ensuring continuing employment 
opportunities for individuals with disabil-
ities receiving a special minimum wage 
rate under this subsection; and 
‘‘(B) information to individuals employed 
at a special minimum wage rate under this sub-
section, which may include referrals to Federal 
or State entities with expertise in competitive 
integrated employment.’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by this subsection shall take effect on the date of en-
actment of this Act. 
(b) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.— 
(1) AMENDMENT.—Subsection (i) of section 6 
of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
206), as amended by section 4(b)(2), is further 
amended by striking ‘‘or section 14(c)(1)(A),’’.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall take effect on the day after 
the date on which the wage rate described in para-
graph (1)(A)(i)(VI) of section 14(c) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)), as 
amended by subsection (a)(1), takes effect. 
SEC. 7. GENERAL EFFECTIVE DATE. 
Except as otherwise provided in this Act or the 
amendments made by this Act, this Act and the amend-
ments made by this Act shall take effect— 
(1) subject to paragraph (2), on the first day 
of the third month that begins after the date of en-
actment of this Act; and 
(2) with respect to the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, on the date that is 18 
months after the effective date described in para-
graph (1). 
SEC. 8. GAO REPORT ON THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE 
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the 
Education and Labor Committee of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report that, with re-
spect to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands— 
(1) assesses the status and structure of the 
economy (including employment, earnings and 
wages, and key industries); and 
(2) for each year in which a wage increase will 
take effect under subsection (a)(1) or (g)(1) of sec-
tion 6, section 3(m)(2)(A)(i), or section 14(c)(1)(A) 
of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
201 et seq.), as amended by this Act, estimates the 
proportion of employees who will be directly affected 
by each such wage increase taking effect for such 
year, disaggregated by industry and occupation. 
SEC. 9. GAO REPORT ON WAGE INCREASE IMPACT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days before the 
date of the third wage increase to first take effect after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller Gen-
eral, in consultation with the persons described in sub-
section (b), shall prepare and submit to Congress a report, 
that— 
(1) identifies and analyzes the effects, in the 
aggregate, of the first wage increases and second 
wage increases after such date of enactment on busi-
ness enterprises (including small business enter-
(A) each census division, as designated by 
the Bureau of the Census; 
(B) each metropolitan statistical area and 
nonmetropolitan portion (as such terms are de-
fined by the Office of Management and Budget 
with respect to 2013); and 
(C) each urbanized area, urbanized cluster, 
and rural area, as designated by the Bureau of 
the Census; and 
(4) describes the methodology used to generate 
the information in the report. 
(b) EXPERT CONSULTATION.—The persons described 
in this subsection are— 
(1) labor economists with expertise in minimum 
wage and low wage labor markets; 
(2) workers (including agricultural workers), 
and the labor organizations and worker groups rep-
resenting such workers; 
(3) representatives of businesses, including 
small businesses, agricultural employers, and busi-
nesses in the accommodation and food services sec-
tor; 
(4) State and local governments; and 
(5) the Board of Governors of the Federal Re-
serve System.
(c) 
CONGRESSIONAL
ASSESSMENT
AND
REC-
OMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 60 days after the date 
on which Congress receives the report under subsection 
(a), Congress shall— 
(1) assess the findings of such report; and 
(2) make recommendations with respect to ac-
tions of Congress to address the findings of such re-
port, including actions to delay the next scheduled 
wage increases. 
(d) WAGE INCREASE DEFINED.—The term ‘‘wage in-
crease’’ means an increase in wages that takes effect 
under subsection (a)(1) or (g)(1) of section 6, section 
3(m)(2)(A)(i), or section 14(c)(1)(A) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.), as amend-
ed by this Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 18, 2019. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 582 
AN ACT 
To provide for increases in the Federal minimum 
wage, and for other purposes.