Should Illinois Increase Its Minimum Wage?

The debate rages on.

Despite Illinois governor Bruce Rauner vetoing a bill that would increase the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour, the Illinois Economic Policy Institute says a raise would be in the state's best interest.

The IEP did a study that showed "increases would affect between 353,000 and 1.4 million workers, and grow the economy by between $5 billion and $19 billion a year."

“A lot of people don’t recognize that raising the minimum wage saves taxpayers money,” said Frank Manzo IV, policy director for the institute. “By raising the minimum wage you can reduce working poverty by a significant amount.”

Those against the increase say low-income workers could end up losing their jobs or having their hours reduced.

If Rauner is defeated in the election by JB Pritzker, the possibility exists that the minimum wage could be increased under new leadership.

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