PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Torres, Norma J. [D-CA-35] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Better Pay for American Workers Act would raise the federal minimum hourly wage for employees covered by the amended provision, subject to exceptions elsewhere in that section. It would set rates of $15 in 2027, $17.50 in 2028 and $20 in 2029. From 2030 onward, annual adjustments would track increases in the median hourly wage—the middle wage among employees—without lowering the minimum.
This Act may be cited as the Better Pay for American Workers Act.
(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than— (A) $15.00 an hour, beginning on January 1, 2027; (B) $17.50 an hour, beginning on January 1, 2028; (C) $20.00 an hour, beginning on January 1, 2029; and (D) beginning on January 1, 2030, and annually thereafter, the amount determined by the Secretary under subsection (h).
(A) not less than the amount in effect under subsection (a)(1) on the date of the 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;
The bill would replace section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act with minimum hourly rates of $15 starting January 1, 2027, $17.50 starting January 1, 2028, and $20 starting January 1, 2029. It expressly preserves exceptions elsewhere in section 6.
Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206) is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following: (1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than— (A) $15.00 an hour, beginning on January 1, 2027; (B) $17.50 an hour, beginning on January 1, 2028; (C) $20.00 an hour, beginning on January 1, 2029;
Starting January 1, 2030, the minimum wage would be adjusted annually. The Secretary would have to determine each year's rate before it takes effect; the provision specifies no final year.
(D) beginning on January 1, 2030, and annually thereafter, the amount determined by the Secretary under subsection (h).
Prior to the date that a new minimum wage determined under subsection (a)(1)(D) is to take effect, the Secretary shall determine the minimum wage rate to be in effect under this subsection for each year described in subsection (a)(1)(D).
The annual calculation would increase the existing rate by any annual percentage increase in employees' median hourly wage, with rounding to the nearest five cents. The resulting rate could not be below the minimum wage in effect when the calculation is made.
The wage rate 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 the 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; (C) rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05, if the amount determined under this subsection is not a multiple of $0.05.
To calculate wage growth, the Secretary, through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, would compare the median hourly wage of all employees in the most recent year with available data against the preceding year's median.
In calculating the annual percentage increase in such median hourly wage, the Secretary, through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shall determine the median hourly wage of all employees for the most recent year for which data are available and compare such median hourly wage with the median hourly wage determined for the preceding year.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated September 10, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Education and Workforce on September 3, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-10T20:27:31Z. 2026-09-03: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. 2026-09-03: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 10, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI