Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, their first step in an effort to shepherd such a hike through the House as the new majority. The Raise the Wage Act, which has been introduced previously in different forms, would boost the wage floor incrementally until it reaches $15 in 2024, after which it would rise each year according to an inflation index. If it were to become law, the proposal would more than double the current federal rate of $7.25 per hour and supersede most state minimum wages. Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced the same measure in the Senate, with 31 Democratic co-sponsors. On Twitter, the Vermont independent called $7.25 a “starvation wage.” The measure is a long way from becoming law. Republicans still hold a majority in the Senate and have declined to work with Democrats on any increase, let alone one this significant. It would also need approval from the White House, where President Donald Trump has been pulling the reins off businesses, not putting new ones on. Even so, the bill’s introduction highlights new opportunities for Democrats. The party has been unable to move a minimum wage bill out of committee for several years as Republicans held full control of Congress. House GOP leaders haven’t held a hearing or markup on the minimum wage since taking the chamber in 2010. Democrats have decided to make the measure one of their first orders of business after picking up 40 House seats in the November midterm elections.

Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images House Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (center), hope to pass a minimum wage bill now that they have a majority. However, the legislation's prospects look bleak in the GOP-controlled Senate.