Louisiana lawmakers reject minimum wage raise and protections for LGBTQ+ people in the workplace

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Measures failed in a House committe Thursday that would have gradually increased Louisiana’s $7.25 an hour minimum wage and make discriminating against LGBTQ people in the workforce illegal.

The outcome of the two bills was unsurprising, after similar legislation succumbed in recent years to the same fate. Proponents were disheartened, maintaining that the measures would have improved life for some in the state.

Louisiana is one of five states that technically has not adopted a minimum wage and as such the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour applies. Among the bills Thursday was a proposal to gradually increase minimum wage to $12 an hour in 2026. A similar bill proposed setting the minimum wage at $14 per hour beginning in 2029.

Proponents argue that boosting the minimum wage for the first time in 15 years would make Louisiana more competitive with other states. They also said it would improve the economy with more money available to be spent while improving the overall lives of many residents who struggle to buy necessities on slim paychecks, especially as the cost of living has risen over the last decade and a half.