State Senators Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) and Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) introduced the legislation Wednesday.

Two Democratic senators have introduced legislation to raise Ohio’s minimum wage to $15 per hour.

State Senators Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) and Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) introduced the legislation Wednesday.

“We have an obligation to make life better for the people in our state and that includes providing living wages,” said Sen. Thomas. “This increase to the minimum wage will help workers and their families have a better life. And when people have more money, it also benefits the local economy from increased spending in the community.”

The current minimum wage in Ohio is $8.55 per hour.

The new legislation would increase it to $12 per hour starting in January 2020 and make yearly increase of $1 until 2023.

The minimum wage would increase every year to keep pace with inflation.

“It’s long overdue that working Ohioans get a raise,” said Sen. Craig. “We are not keeping up with inflation and workers are actually making less per hour than they did decades ago. By introducing $15 an hour gradually, we are ensuring full-time workers can provide for their families with a livable wage that offers more opportunity to improve the quality of their lives.”