Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5136 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5	2025 -- H 5136
6	6	========
7	7	LC000474
8	8	========
9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES
16	16	Introduced By: Representative Julie A. Casimiro
17	17	Date Introduced: January 22, 2025
18	18	Referred To: House Labor
19	19	(by request)
20	20
21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Sections 28-12-3 and 28-12-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-12 entitled 1
23	23	"Minimum Wages" are hereby amended to read as follows: 2
24	24	28-12-3. Minimum wages. 3
25	25	(a) Every employer shall pay to each of his or her employees: commencing July 1, 1999, 4
26	26	at least the minimum wage of five dollars and sixty-five cents ($5.65) per hour. Commencing 5
27	27	September 1, 2000, the minimum wage is six dollars and fifteen cents ($6.15) per hour. 6
28	28	(b) Commencing January 1, 2004, the minimum wage is six dollars and seventy-five cents 7
29	29	($6.75) per hour. 8
30	30	(c) Commencing March 1, 2006, the minimum wage is seven dollars and ten cents ($7.10) 9
31	31	per hour. 10
32	32	(d) Commencing January 1, 2007, the minimum wage is seven dollars and forty cents 11
33	33	($7.40) per hour. 12
34	34	(e) Commencing January 1, 2013, the minimum wage is seven dollars and seventy-five 13
35	35	cents ($7.75) per hour. 14
36	36	(f) Commencing January 1, 2014, the minimum wage is eight dollars ($8.00) per hour. 15
37	37	(g) Commencing January 1, 2015, the minimum wage is nine dollars ($9.00) per hour. 16
38	38	(h) Commencing January 1, 2016, the minimum wage is nine dollars and sixty cents ($9.60) 17
39	39	per hour. 18
40	40	(i) Commencing January 1, 2018, the minimum wage is ten dollars and ten cents ($10.10) 19
41	41
42	42
43	43	LC000474 - Page 2 of 4
44	44	per hour. 1
45	45	(j) Commencing January 1, 2019, the minimum wage is ten dollars and fifty cents ($10.50) 2
46	46	per hour. 3
47	47	(k) Commencing October 1, 2020, the minimum wage is eleven dollars and fifty cents 4
48	48	($11.50) per hour. 5
49	49	(l) Commencing January 1, 2022, the minimum wage is twelve dollars and twenty-five 6
50	50	cents ($12.25) per hour. 7
51	51	(m) Commencing January 1, 2023, the minimum wage is thirteen dollars ($13.00) per hour. 8
52	52	(n) Commencing January 1, 2024, the minimum wage is fourteen dollars ($14.00) per hour. 9
53	53	(o) Commencing January 1, 2025, the minimum wage is fifteen dollars ($15.00) per hour. 10
54	54	(p) Commencing January 1, 2026 and ending on January 1, 2031, the minimum wage will 11
55	55	increase annually on January 1 by one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) until the minimum wage is 12
56	56	twenty-four dollars ($24.00) per hour. 13
57	57	28-12-5. Employees receiving gratuities. 14
58	58	(a) Every employer shall pay to each of the employer’s employees who are engaged in any 15
59	59	work or employment in which gratuities have customarily and usually constituted a part of his or 16
60	60	her weekly income, the rate as provided by §§ 28-12-3 and 28-12-3.1. 17
61	61	(b) Allowance for gratuities as part of the hourly wage rate for restaurants, hotels, and other 18
62	62	industries, except taxicabs and limited public motor vehicles, shall be an amount equal to the 19
63	63	applicable minimum rates as provided by §§ 28-12-3 and 28-12-3.1 less two dollars and eighty-20
64	64	nine cents ($2.89) per hour. “Gratuities” means voluntary monetary compensation received directly 21
65	65	or indirectly by the employee for services rendered. 22
66	66	(c) Each employer desiring to deduct for gratuities as part of the minimum rates as provided 23
67	67	in §§ 28-12-3 and 28-12-3.1 wages paid to an employee shall provide substantial evidence that the 24
68	68	amount shall be as set out in the formula in subsection (b) of this section; however, the cash wage 25
69	69	shall not be less than two dollars and eighty-nine cents ($2.89) per hour; provided, however, that 26
70	70	commencing January 1, 2016, the cash wage shall increase by fifty cents ($.50) to an amount not 27
71	71	less than three dollars and thirty-nine cents ($3.39) per hour; provided further, that commencing 28
72	72	January 1, 2017, the cash wage shall increase by fifty cents ($.50) to an amount not less than three 29
73	73	dollars and eighty-nine cents ($3.89) per hour; provided further, that commencing January 1, 2026, 30
74	74	the cash wage shall increase by three dollars and six cents ($3.06) to an amount not less than six 31
75	75	dollars and ninety-five cents ($6.95) per hour; commencing January 1, 2027, the cash wage shall 32
76	76	increase by two dollars ($2.00) to an amount not less than eight dollars and ninety-five cents ($8.95) 33
77	77	per hour; commencing January 1, 2028, the cash wage shall increase by two dollars ($2.00) to an 34
78	78
79	79
80	80	LC000474 - Page 3 of 4
81	81	amount not less than ten dollars and ninety-five cents ($10.95) per hour; commencing January 1, 1
82	82	2029, the cash wage shall increase by two dollars ($2.00) to an amount not less than twelve dollars 2
83	83	and ninety-five cents ($12.95) per hour; commencing January 1, 2030, the cash wage shall increase 3
84	84	by two dollars ($2.00) to an amount not less than fourteen dollars and ninety-five cents ($14.95) 4
85	85	per hour; commencing January 1, 2031, the cash wage shall be no less than the minimum wage 5
86	86	established pursuant to § 28-12-3. 6
87	87	(d) The director of labor and training shall notify employers concerning what type of proof 7
88	88	shall be accepted as substantial evidence for the purpose of this subsection. Employees involved 8
89	89	shall be entitled to a hearing on the question of the amount of deduction if they so desire. 9
90	90	(e) In cases where wages are figured by the employer on an incentive basis in such a manner 10
91	91	that an employee of reasonable average ability earns at least the minimum wage established by §§ 11
92	92	28-12-3 and 28-12-3.1, it shall be taken that the employer has complied with this statute. It shall be 12
93	93	of no concern to the director of labor and training how the employer arrives at its wage scale so 13
94	94	long as it is not unreasonable in its demands on the employee. 14
95	95	(f) Where, in the case of the employment of a full-time student who has not attained his or 15
96	96	her nineteenth (19th) birthday engaged in the activities of a nonprofit association or corporation, 16
97	97	whose aims and objectives are religious, educational, librarial, or community service in nature, the 17
98	98	employer-employee relationship does exist, the employer shall pay to each such employee wages 18
99	99	at a rate of not less than ninety percent (90%) of the minimum wage as specified in § 28-12-3. In 19
100	100	case of any conflict between provisions of this section and those of § 28-12-3.1, the provisions of 20
101	101	§ 28-12-3.1 shall govern. 21
102	102	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 22
103	103	========
104	104	LC000474
105	105	========
106	106
107	107
108	108	LC000474 - Page 4 of 4
109	109	EXPLANATION
110	110	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
111	111	OF
112	112	A N A C T
113	113	RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES
114	114	***
115	115	This act would gradually increase the minimum wage for employees receiving gratuities 1
116	116	between January 1, 2026 through January 1, 2031 to the minimum wage established in § 28-12-3 2
117	117	exclusive of gratuities. 3
118	118	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
119	119	========
120	120	LC000474
121	121	========