New legislation introduced by Nebraska Senator Tom Briesie of Albion could cap the minimum wage to below what Nebraska Initiative 433 raises it to. On Thursday, Briesie introduced LB 15, which brings to the table a youth and training wage across the state.
“The youth wage applies to 14 to 17 year olds,” Ansley Fellers, Executive Director of the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association, told KLIN News. “The training wage would apply to those who are 19 and 18.” Fellers says that the proposal would deliver some relief to small businesses who may struggle with the increased minimum wage hike.
In November, voters passed Nebraska Initiative 433, which will raise the minimum wage from $9 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026. LB 15’s youth wage would cap the minimum wage at $10.50 an hour, which is the rate for 2023, and the training wage would eventually be capped at 75% the prevailing minimum wage rate.
Fellers told KLIN News that the legislation was written with a $9 minimum wage in mind, but it will likely settle on the $10.50-per-hour rate. LB 15 will go to committee, and there will be a hearing on it by February. There will then be debates on the floor regarding its passage.