Give America a Raise Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7471 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7471

  To provide for increases in the Federal minimum wage, and for other
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 10, 2026

 Mr. Norcross introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                  Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To provide for increases in the Federal minimum wage, and for other
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Give America a Raise Act''.

SEC. 2. MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES.

    (a) In General.--Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not
        less than--
                    ``(A) $10.00 an hour, beginning on the effective
                date under section 7 of the Give America a Raise Act;
                    ``(B) $13.00 an hour, beginning 1 year after such
                effective date;
                    ``(C) $16.50 an hour, beginning 2 years after such
                effective date;
                    ``(D) $20.00 an hour, beginning 3 years after such
                effective date; and
                    ``(E) beginning on the date that is 4 years after
                such effective date, and annually thereafter, the
                amount determined by the Secretary under subsection (h)
                for the year;''.
    (b) Determination Based on Increase in Inflation and Gross Domestic
Product.--Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C.
206) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(h)(1) Not later than each date that is 90 days before a new
minimum wage determined under subsection (a)(1)(E) is to take effect
for a year, the Secretary shall determine the amount of the minimum
wage under this subsection for the year. The amount of the minimum wage
determined under this subsection for a year shall be the amount in
effect under subsection (a)(1) on the date of such determination, as
increased (subject to paragraph (2)) by the greater of--
            ``(A) the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price
        Index for all Urban Consumers, as determined by the Bureau of
        Labor Statistics, for the most recent 12-month period for which
        data is available; or
            ``(B) the annual percentage increase in the Gross Domestic
        Product, as determined by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, for
        the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.
    ``(2) In the event that, in determining the amount of the minimum
wage under this subsection for a year, there is not an annual
percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index described in paragraph
(1)(A) and there is not an annual percentage increase in the Gross
Domestic Product described in paragraph (1)(B), the amount determined
under this subsection for such year shall be the amount in effect under
subsection (a)(1) on the date of such determination.
    ``(3) In the event that the amount of the minimum wage determined
under this subsection for a year is not a multiple of $0.05, such
amount shall be rounded up to the nearest multiple of $0.05.''.

SEC. 3. TIPPED EMPLOYEES.

    (a) Base Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees and Tips Retained by
Employees.--Section 3(m)(2)(A)(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)(i)) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(i) the cash wage paid such employee, which for
                purposes of such determination shall be not less than--
                            ``(I) for the 1-year period beginning on
                        the effective date under section 7 of the Give
                        America a Raise Act, $6.00 an hour;
                            ``(II) $8.00 an hour, beginning 1 year
                        after such effective date;
                            ``(III) $10.00 an hour, beginning 2 years
                        after such effective date;
                            ``(IV) $12.50 an hour, beginning 3 years
                        after such effective date;
                            ``(V) $15.00 an hour, beginning 4 years
                        after such effective date;
                            ``(VI) $17.50 an hour, beginning 5 years
                        after such effective date;
                            ``(VII) $20.00 an hour, beginning 6 years
                        after such effective date; and
                            ``(VIII) for each succeeding 1-year period
                        after the increase made pursuant to subclause
                        (VII), the minimum wage in effect under section
                        6(a)(1); and''.
    (b) Tips Retained by Employees.--Section 3(m)(2)(A) of the Fair
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in the second sentence of the matter following clause
        (ii), by striking ``of this subsection, and all tips received
        by such employee have been retained by the employee'' and
        inserting ``of this subsection. Any employee shall have the
        right to retain any tips received by such employee''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``An employer shall
        inform each employee of the right and exception provided under
        the preceding sentence.''.
    (c) Scheduled Repeal of Separate Minimum Wage for Tipped
Employees.--
            (1) Tipped employees.--Section 3(m)(2)(A) of the Fair Labor
        Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)), as amended by
        subsections (a) and (b), is further amended by striking the
        sentence beginning with ``In determining the wage an employer
        is required to pay a tipped employee,'' and all that follows
        through ``of this subsection.'' and inserting ``The wage
        required to be paid to a tipped employee shall be the wage set
        forth in section 6(a)(1).''.
            (2) Publication of notice.--Subsection (i) of section 6 of
        the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), as added
        by section 5 and amended by section 6(b)(1), is further amended
        by striking ``or in accordance with subclauses (II) through
        (VIII) of section 3(m)(2)(A)(i),''.
            (3) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraphs (1)
        and (2) shall take effect on the date that is 1 day after the
        date on which the hourly wage under subclause (VIII) of section
        3(m)(2)(A)(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29
        U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A)(i)), as amended by subsection (a), takes
        effect.
    (d) Penalties.--Section 16 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
(29 U.S.C. 216) is amended by striking ``unlawfully kept'' each place
it appears and inserting ``unlawfully kept or used''.

SEC. 4. NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LESS THAN 20 YEARS OLD.

    (a) Base Minimum Wage for Newly Hired Employees Who Are Less Than
20 Years Old.--Section 6(g)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
(29 U.S.C. 206(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``a wage which is not less
than $4.25 an hour.'' and inserting the following: ``a wage at a rate
that is not less than--
            ``(A) for the 1-year period beginning on the effective date
        under section 7 of the Give America a Raise Act, $6.00 an hour;
            ``(B) for each succeeding 1-year period until the hourly
        wage under this paragraph equals the wage in effect under
        section 6(a)(1) for such period, an hourly wage equal to the
        amount determined under this paragraph for the preceding year,
        increased by the lesser of--
                    ``(i) $2.00; or
                    ``(ii) the amount necessary for the wage in effect
                under this paragraph to equal the wage in effect under
                section 6(a)(1) for such period; and
            ``(C) for each succeeding 1-year period after the increase
        made pursuant to subparagraph (B)(ii), the minimum wage in
        effect under section 6(a)(1).''.
    (b) Scheduled Repeal of Separate Minimum Wage for Newly Hired
Employees Who Are Less Than 20 Years Old.--
            (1) In general.--Section 6(g) of the Fair Labor Standards
        Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(g)), as amended by subsection (a),
        shall be repealed.
            (2) Publication of notice.--Subsection (i) of section 6 of
        the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), as added
        by section 5 and amended by sections 6(b)(1) and 3(c)(2), is
        further amended by striking ``or subparagraph (B) or (C) of
        subsection (g)(1)''.
            (3) Effective date.--The repeal and amendment made by
        paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, shall take effect on the
        date that is 1 day after the date on which the hourly wage
        under subparagraph (C) of section 6(g)(1) of the Fair Labor
        Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(g)(1)), as amended by
        subsection (a), takes effect.

SEC. 5. PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.

    Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206),
as amended by section 2(b), is further amended by adding at the end the
following:
    ``(i) Not later than 60 days prior to the effective date of any
increase in the required wage determined under subsection (a)(1) or
subparagraph (B) or (C) of subsection (g)(1), or in accordance with
subclauses (II) through (VIII) of section 3(m)(2)(A)(i) or section
14(c)(1)(A)(i), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register and
on the website of the Department of Labor a notice announcing each
increase in such required wage.''.

SEC. 6. PROMOTING ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH
              DISABILITIES.

    (a) Wages.--
            (1) Transition to fair wages for individuals with
        disabilities.--Subparagraph (A) of section 14(c)(1) of the Fair
        Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)(1)) is amended to
        read as follows:
            ``(A) at a rate that equals or exceeds, for each year, the
        greater of--
                    ``(i)(I) $5.00 an hour, beginning on the effective
                date under section 7 of the Give America a Raise Act;
                    ``(II) $8.00 an hour, beginning 1 year after such
                effective date;
                    ``(III) $11.00 an hour, beginning 2 years after
                such effective date;
                    ``(IV) $14.00 an hour, beginning 3 years after such
                effective date;
                    ``(V) $17.00 an hour, beginning 4 years after such
                effective date;
                    ``(VI) $20.00 an hour, beginning 5 years after such
                effective date; and
                    ``(VII) the wage rate in effect under section
                6(a)(1), beginning 6 years after such effective date;
                or
                    ``(ii) if applicable, the wage rate in effect on
                the day before the date of enactment of the Give
                America a Raise Act for the employment, under a special
                certificate issued under this paragraph, of the
                individual for whom the wage rate is being determined
                under this subparagraph,''.
            (2) Prohibition on new special certificates; transition
        assistance.--
                    (A) In general.--Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor
                Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)) is amended by
                adding at the end the following:
    ``(6) Prohibition on New Special Certificates.--Notwithstanding
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall not issue a special certificate
under this subsection to an employer that was not issued a special
certificate under this subsection before the date of enactment of the
Give America a Raise Act.
    ``(7) Transition Assistance.--Upon request, the Secretary shall
provide--
            ``(A) technical assistance and information to employers
        issued a special certificate under this subsection for the
        purposes of--
                    ``(i) assisting such employers to comply with this
                subsection, as amended by the Give America a Raise Act;
                and
                    ``(ii) ensuring continuing employment opportunities
                for individuals with disabilities receiving a special
                minimum wage rate under this subsection; and
            ``(B) information to individuals employed at a special
        minimum wage rate under this subsection, which may include
        referrals to Federal or State entities with expertise in
        competitive integrated employment.''.
                    (B) Effective date.--The amendments made by this
                paragraph shall take effect on the date of enactment of
                this Act.
            (3) Sunset.--Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act
        of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)), as amended by paragraph (2), is
        further amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(8) Sunset.--Beginning on the day after the date on which the
wage rate described in paragraph (1)(A)(i)(VII) takes effect, the
authority to issue special certificates under paragraph (1) shall
expire, and no special certificates issued under paragraph (1) shall
have any legal effect.''.
    (b) Publication of Notice.--
            (1) Amendment.--Subsection (i) of section 6 of the Fair
        Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), as added by
        section 5, is amended by striking ``or section
        14(c)(1)(A)(i)''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)
        shall take effect on the day after the date on which the wage
        rate described in paragraph (1)(A)(i)(VII) of section 14(c) of
        the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)), as
        amended by subsection (a)(1), takes effect.

SEC. 7. GENERAL EFFECTIVE DATE.

    Except as otherwise provided in this Act, this Act and the
amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the first day of the
third month that begins after the date of enactment of this Act.
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