| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED S.67 |
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| 2 | 2 | | 2025 Page 1 of 2 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | VT LEG #379237 v.1 |
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| 6 | 6 | | S.67 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Senators Clarkson, Gulick, Watson and White 2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Referred to Committee on 3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Date: 4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Subject: Labor; employment practices; minimum wages 5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to increase the 6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | minimum wage to the livable wage as established by the basic needs budget. 7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | An act relating to increasing the State minimum wage based on the livable 8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | wage 9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 1. LEGISLATIVE INTENT 11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | Consistent with the declaration of policy on minimum wages, set forth in 21 12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | V.S.A. § 381, and to address ongoing concerns about affordability, it is the 13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | General Assembly’s intent to raise the State minimum wage to the livable 14 |
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| 20 | 20 | | wage as reported by the Joint Fiscal Office in January 2025. Future increases 15 |
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| 21 | 21 | | to the minimum wage will continue to be determined as established by current 16 |
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| 22 | 22 | | law. 17 |
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| 23 | 23 | | Sec. 2. 21 V.S.A. § 383 is amended to read: 18 |
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| 24 | 24 | | § 383. DEFINITIONS 19 |
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| 25 | 25 | | As used in this subchapter: 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.67 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 2025 Page 2 of 2 |
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| 28 | 28 | | |
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| 29 | 29 | | VT LEG #379237 v.1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | * * * 1 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (5) “Livable wage” means the average of the urban and rural hourly 2 |
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| 32 | 32 | | wage required for a full-time worker who lives in shared housing and has 3 |
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| 33 | 33 | | employer-assisted health insurance to pay for the basic needs budget. 4 |
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| 34 | 34 | | Sec. 3. 21 V.S.A. § 384 is amended to read: 5 |
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| 35 | 35 | | § 384. EMPLOYMENT; WAGES 6 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (a)(1) Beginning on January 1, 2022 2026, an employer shall not employ 7 |
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| 37 | 37 | | any employee at a rate of less than $12.55, and on the livable wage of $18.60. 8 |
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| 38 | 38 | | On each subsequent January 1, the minimum wage rate shall be increased by 9 |
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| 39 | 39 | | five percent or the percentage increase of the Consumer Price Index, CPI-U, 10 |
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| 40 | 40 | | U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, or successor index, as calculated by 11 |
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| 41 | 41 | | the U.S. Department of Labor or successor agency for the 12 months preceding 12 |
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| 42 | 42 | | the previous September 1, whichever is smaller, but in no event shall the 13 |
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| 43 | 43 | | minimum wage be decreased. The minimum wage shall be rounded off to the 14 |
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| 44 | 44 | | nearest $0.01. 15 |
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| 45 | 45 | | * * * 16 |
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| 46 | 46 | | Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE 17 |
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| 47 | 47 | | This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 18 |
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