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A RESOLUTION
21-519
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
June 21, 2016
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Minimum Wage Act Revision Act of 1992 to progressively increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, beginning in 2021 to increase the minimum wage during each successive year pursuant to the Consumer Price Index, to progressively increase the tipped minimum wage to $5 an hour by 2020, and beginning in 2021 to increase the tipped minimum wage during each successive year pursuant to the Consumer Price Index; and to amend the Living Wage Act of 2006 to provide that the minimum wage requirements of the Minimum Wage Act Revision Act of 1992 shall apply to contracts and agreements for government assistance if the minimum wage is higher than the living wage.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Fair Shot Minimum Wage Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2016”.
Sec. 2. (a) The Fair Shot Minimum Wage Emergency Amendment Act of 2016, passed on 1st reading on June 7, 2016 (Engrossed version of Bill 21-712) (“Fair Shot Act”), still must have a second reading, complete the District legislative process, and complete the 30-day congressional review period required by section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)).
(b) Congress, both the House and Senate, is set to adjourn in mid-July and not reconvene until early September. The congressional recess means a longer than usual congressional review period. As a result, the Fair Shot Act is unlikely to become law until near the end of 2016.
(c) It is important that this ground-breaking law be in place earlier than year’s end to provide surety to employers and employees of the mandated progressive increases.
(d) The next scheduled adjustment to the minimum hourly wage is July 1, 2016.
(e) It is important that the requirement that the Mayor publish each adjustment to the minimum hourly wage and make bulletins of the information available to employers be law as soon as possible so that it applies to the upcoming July 1, 2016 increase.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Fair Shot Minimum Wage Emergency Amendment Act of 2016 be adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
