Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider lamented on Tuesday that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s move to sign the minimum wage bill into law is just the start of a process he sees as the new governor turning his back on the promises he made soon after taking office.
“This is only the beginning of J.B. Pritzker’s war on taxpayers and small business,” Schneider said in a statement. “Nearly doubling the minimum wage will destroy entry-level jobs, raise prices for consumers and bust budgets at every level of government. Pritzker pledged to govern differently and listen to all parties and stakeholders, but those turned out to meaningless words.”
The new law increases the minimum wage in Illinois to $15 per hour as of 2025. The raised rate will come in increments, starting on Jan. 1, 2020, by rising to $9.25, followed by a raise to $10 on July 1. From that point, rates will rise by $1 at the start of every year until 2025.
The Chicago Tribune notes that Pritzker officially signed off on the new law just hours before he was scheduled to deliver his first state budget address, thus making good on a vow he made early on the campaign trial.
Currently, roughly 1.4 million residents of the state earn less than $15 an hour and Illinois last raised its statewide minimum wage in 2010.
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