Republicans on a Louisiana House labor committee killed a pair of bills Wednesday that would have raised the state’s minimum wage and barred bosses from discriminating against workers on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
The hearing mirrored a series of recent contentious meetings in the statehouse where tensions flared between lawmakers and witnesses over controversial legislation, mostly affecting rights of LGBTQ+ people. At one point on Wednesday, staff removed Melissa Flournoy, a former lawmaker and now a progressive advocate, from the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations as she refused to stop speaking in support of the minimum wage increases.
That measure, House Bill 374, is routinely proposed in the legislature and has repeatedly failed facing opposition from major business groups. Sponsored by Rep. Ed Larvadain, D-Alexandria, this year’s measure proposed raising the state’s minimum wage to $10 on Jan. 1, 2024, with tiered increases to follow in later years.
Stay updated on this situation in the legislature and more with this email newsletter
Rep. Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans, brought before the committee the bill to outlaw sexual identity and gender discrimination in workplaces.
That measure, HB 40, failed on 7-5 party line vote with Democrats voting in favor of the bill and Republicans voting against it.
Larvadain’s bill died on a 9-5 vote, also along party lines, with Democrats in support and Republicans in opposition.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
Leave a Reply