Catherine Hensley (OU)
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla (Nov. 14, 2020) – The author of House Bill OSU-526, Rep. Pope from Oklahoma State University, wants to help households in Oklahoma that are considered below the poverty line with her bill by raising Oklahoma’s minimum wage to $10.50 an hour. The bill hit the House floor, and it was highly discussed and debated.
Some representatives were concerned that the bill would harm small businesses in Oklahoma. However, discussion with other representatives put some concerns to rest.
“Listening to the discussion and other opinions, as well as the author’s explanations, makes me think that overall it will increase purchasing power and benefit the economy in the long term,” Rep. Sarfo from Oral Roberts University said. Many representatives were in support of the bill.
“We absolutely need to increase the minimum wage in this state to try and keep pace with the growth of the economy, but I also believe that this could be only a temporary fix to a larger federal problem that needs to be addressed,” Rep. Williams from Tulsa University said.
Despite the support for the bill, there were still more concerns from other representatives.
Rep. Bonham from Oklahoma State University expressed concerns about how the new minimum wage would specifically hurt marijuana dispensaries due to a large majority of them being small businesses.
“It [the marijuana industry] is bankrolling Oklahoma right now,” Rep. Bonham said. “And without the marijuana industry, the economy could bankrupt the state completely.”
Due to his concerns, Rep. Bonham presented an amendment to the bill that would make minimum wage $9 an hour instead because he said this would be a good compromise. However, Rep. Pope declined the amendment because she said $9 an hour is not adequate.
Rep. White from the University of Oklahoma said that raising the minimum wage to only $9 an hour is the equivalent of watching someone drown and just throwing a pool noodle.
The amendment was submitted as hostile, and it failed to gain the support it needed.
The overall bill went to a vote in the House, and it passed 39-3.
