Lower minimum wage revived, but may wait until next year

By Fred Knapp , Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media

22 de Mayo de 2025 a las 00:00 ·

Sen. Jane Raybould in debate Thursday (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News) — Sen. Jane Raybould in debate Thursday. (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News)

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A proposal for a lower minimum wage for young workers was revived Thursday in the Nebraska Legislature. But supporters of the measure may have to wait until next year to resume their push for the change.

Right now, Nebraska’s minimum wage is $13.50 an hour. As a result of an initiative approved by voters three years ago, that’s scheduled to increase to $15 an hour next January, and increase with inflation after that.

A proposal by Sen. Jane Raybould would keep the minimum wage at $13.50 for 14- and 15-year olds, and would allow $13.50 as a training wage the first 90 days on the job for 16- through 19-year-olds.

In what was supposed to be the final vote on the bill last week, it failed, because Sen. Tony Sorrentino, one of its supporters, was out of the chamber and missed the vote.

Thursday’s debate was about whether to hold another vote.

Speaker of the Legislature Sen. John Arch ruled another vote was permissible, based on precedents stretching back to 1984, and he noted that the move fit within the time limit required in legislative rules.

“Once a motion to reconsider is made, the Legislature has five legislative days to vote on that motion to reconsider. Today is day five. That has been met,” he said.

Sen. George Dungan, who opposes the bill, also opposed its reconsideration.

“People that I've spoken to outside of this building, and the people that I talk to about what we do in here, think that this entire thing that we're doing is a farce, right? They think this entire process that we're going through is giving people a second bite at the apple because they messed up,” he said.

The debate also included a reprise of arguments for and against the bill itself. Raybould said her goal was to create an incentive to hire young people, and help businesses that face a shortage of workers. And she argued the bill would still leave Nebraska workers in good shape compared to those in other states.

“Passing this legislation will give Nebraska the 18th highest minimum wage in the nation, despite having the 10th lowest cost of living,” she said.

Sen. Dunixi Guereca objected to the fact that under the bill, the youth minimum wage would increase only 1.5% every five years.

“Under the proposed growth rate, it will take 40 years for the youth minimum wage to catch up with the $15 an hour that was on the ballot that the citizens of this great state voted for,” he said.

Raybould said that was misleading.

“Sen. Guereca, your numbers don't add up. You are 14 years old for one year, not 40 years. And it goes the same for a 15 year old,” she said.

After about an hour and a half of debate, senators voted 33-16 to allow reconsideration of the bill. But Arch, whose ruling had made the debate possible, then said he would not schedule another final vote on the bill this year.

Arch cited the fact that 11 other senators’ priority bills have not yet received their first round of debate.

“I think in fairness to those that have not been able to get on the floor, that it's not appropriate to bring a bill back for a vote take perhaps another two hours, if that's the requirement on final, and take time," he said. "So I have communicated that to other senators that I do not intend to reschedule this bill this year."

Raybould said she was pleased with Thursday’s vote. She said even if the final vote has to wait until next year, the bill would be ready and she would not have to restart the process.

She also said she’s still considering other options to pass the bill this year, including trying to amend it into another bill, which would eliminate a voter-approved requirement for paid sick leave by excluding businesses with 10 or fewer employees.

Sen. Danielle Conrad, an opponent of Raybould’s bill, predicted that would be very difficult, because the sick leave bill already faces a slew of amendments and motions to stop it. And she suggested such a move would look bad to the public.

“I think it would also just send such a very disappointing message to Nebraska voters, that their Nebraska Legislature will stop at nothing to figure out how to send a package to the governor's desk that punches down on both the will of the voters and the working poor,” she said.

Raybould acknowledged that if the minimum wage rises for everyone on Jan. 1, passing the bill after that could then result in wage cuts for young workers. But she said more likely, employers would simply hold off hiring young workers.