Pay Our Youth a Fair Summer Wage Amendment Act of 2025
Summary
The Pay Our Youth a Fair Summer Wage Amendment Act of 2025 would amend the District of Columbia’s Youth Employment Act of 1979 to increase pay for participants in the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. The bill raises the wage for youth ages 14 to 15 from $6.25 per hour to $10.00 per hour. It also removes the existing lower age-specific wage category and expands the higher-wage category so that youth ages 16 through 24 would be paid at least the minimum wage.
The measure is aimed at improving compensation for young workers in the District’s summer youth employment program and recognizing the value of their work experience and contributions. The bill is framed as an investment in youth development, financial responsibility, and workforce participation, while also responding to the cost of living and the goal of making the program more equitable.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would directly amend D.C. Official Code § 32-242(a)(1)(A) under the Youth Employment Act of 1979 by changing the wage schedule for summer youth program participants. It would increase the statutory pay floor for younger participants and require minimum-wage pay for participants ages 16 through 24, affecting the District government’s summer youth employment budget and the compensation received by program participants.
Sentiment
The available materials suggest broadly positive sentiment toward the bill. The introduction describes the proposal as a way to enrich youth lives, provide fair and equitable compensation, and strengthen financial independence. There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided context, so no formal opposition or divided sentiment is evident from the record supplied.
Contention
The main policy issue is the cost of raising youth wages, since the bill would increase District spending on the summer employment program and could affect how many participants can be funded. Another potential point of contention is whether the wage increase should apply only to younger teens or more broadly to older youth as well; the bill resolves this by extending minimum-wage treatment to ages 16 through 24. No specific objections, amendments, or opposing viewpoints are included in the provided context.