An Act to repeal 104.001, 104.01 (5g), 104.01 (7m) and 104.045 (1); to amend 104.045 (title); to repeal and recreate 104.035; to create 104.01 (1g) and 227.01 (13) (Lw) of the statutes; Relating to: a state minimum wage, allowing the enactment of local minimum wage ordinances, and granting rule-making authority. (FE)
SB1126 would substantially revise Wisconsin’s minimum wage law. It raises the statewide minimum wage for most employees from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour, effective three months after enactment, and then requires the Department of Workforce Development to adjust that wage annually based on changes in the consumer price index, with the revised amount published in the Administrative Register and on the department’s website. The bill also directs DWD to set minimum wage rules for several categories of workers, including opportunity employees, agricultural employees, camp counselors, golf caddies, certain workers with disabilities, student learners, and some college students.
The bill repeals several existing wage provisions, including the separate tipped wage, rules on counting tips toward minimum wage, specific meal and lodging allowances, and statutory minimum wages for minors, opportunity employees, agricultural employees, and other groups. It also removes the current prohibition on cities, villages, towns, and counties enacting and administering local minimum wage ordinances, thereby allowing local governments to adopt their own minimum wage standards. The bill grants rule-making authority to DWD to implement the new framework and to define exemptions for certain casual, in-home, and school-based work arrangements.
SB1126 would amend Chapter 104 of the Wisconsin statutes by replacing the current statewide minimum wage structure with a higher base wage and a CPI-based annual adjustment mechanism. It would also shift more authority to the Department of Workforce Development to establish special wage rules and exemptions for specific worker categories, while eliminating several existing statutory wage classifications and the tipped wage framework. In addition, it would change local government authority by removing the statewide ban on local minimum wage ordinances, potentially allowing municipalities and counties to set higher local wage floors.
The available context suggests the bill was introduced as a major labor-policy change and was aligned with sponsors seeking a higher wage floor and local flexibility. However, the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, and there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided material to show detailed debate or bipartisan support. Overall, the sentiment appears to have been supportive among the bill’s authors and labor-oriented advocates, but not sufficient to advance through the legislature.
The main points of contention are likely to have been the size and pace of the wage increase, the elimination of the tipped minimum wage, and the removal of state preemption over local wage ordinances. Employers, especially in agriculture, hospitality, and small businesses, may object to higher labor costs and local wage variation, while labor advocates would favor the higher statewide floor and CPI indexing. The bill also leaves several worker categories to administrative rulemaking, which could be contentious because it gives DWD discretion over exemptions and special wage rules.