Minimum wage workers in Oklahoma could be taking home more money later this year, if lawmakers approve a new House Bill.
House Bill 2866, proposed by Rep. Daniel Pae (R) Lawton, would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.65 an hour. It also outlines specific changes to help restaurant workers and college students with summer internships.
HB 2866 would ensure that people who work on tips, like waiters and waitresses, are making the new minimum wage.
Currently, Oklahoma law allows employers to deduct up to $5.12 from a service workers hourly wage as a tip credit.
If passed, this bill would still allow employers to offset the hourly wage paid by tips. The employers would be responsible for reporting the tip amounts to the Oklahoma Tax Commission in order to document that workers are making $8.65 per hour minimum.
The bill would also extend the minimum wage for interns 18-years or older.
If the bill passes, students who work at internships for at least ten hours a week would have to be compensated for the
minimum wage amount.
According to Pae, some interns don't have the option to take unpaid internships, so it's important for Oklahoma to level the playing
field for them.
There's also another minimum wage bill that will be up for debate in the Senate when the new legislative session starts February 3. That bill would raise the minimum wage to $10.50 an hour.