SALEM -- House Speaker Tina Kotek, hoping to rekindle support among fellow Democrats, said Monday that she's pushing forward with a proposal to raise the statewide minimum wage to $13 an hour by 2018.

Kotek's proposal would give Oregon the nation's highest statewide minimum wage, raising it by nearly $4 an hour over three years, and would hand activists pushing for a $15 minimum a partial victory. It would also repeal a statewide pre-emption on local minimum wage increases, clearing the way for Portland officials to approve greater increases.

"By getting to a $13 per hour minimum wage ... everyone who's working more or less at full time would be above the federal poverty level and meet the self-sufficiency standards in nearly all the counties," Kotek, D-Portland, told reporters.

Kotek's proposal would raise the minimum wage in steps starting Jan. 1, 2016, when it would jump to $11 an hour. It would rise to $12 in 2017, then to $13 in 2018. Currently, Oregon has the second-highest minimum wage in the nation at $9.25, after Washington's $9.47. The federal minimum is $7.25.

The proposal by the highest-ranking House Democrat is an attempt to reignite support for raising the minimum wage as the session slides toward a close. Kotek acknowledged she might not get a vote until the 2016 session.

"We need a proposal that if we're not going to be able to do it this session -- and it is late -- then we need to continue the conversation in the interim," Kotek said.

House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, says she will push forward with a new proposal to raise Oregon's minimum wage to $13 an hour by 2018.

Democrats have enough votes to pass minimum wage increases without Republican support. But many have been reluctant, worried that passing too many workplace-related bills at once could alienate business leaders.

Democrats introduced more than a dozen bills at the start of session to raise the minimum wage to between $10 and $15 in coming years, but none had enough support to make it out of committee. Kotek's proposal will be an amendment to one of those bills, House Bill 2012, which originally aimed to increase wages to $13.50 by 2017.

"It may cost us shifts, it may cost us hours, it could cost us hires if we raise the minimum wage too high," said Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis. "She has offered us a proposal that is far from the 15 (dollars) originally suggested, and we will be waiting to see how it plays out."

Democrats instead have focused on smaller efforts, including bills to require paid sick leave and to prevent employers from asking about criminal history on job applications And those were significantly watered down before final votes.

Kotek is scheduled to testify before the House Rules Committee on Wednesday.

She said Monday that she can't guarantee enough support to pass the bill in the House.

If it does pass, Kotek's proposal faces a harder road in the more moderate Senate. Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, has said repeatedly that he doesn't support a higher minimum wage. Robin Maxey, Courtney's spokesman, said Monday that hasn't changed.

Privately, some Democratic suggest Kotek's proposal is a ploy to please campaign donors and get Republicans on the record opposing a higher minimum wage ahead of next year's elections.

But the challenges aren't just political. A report from the nonpartisan Legislative Revenue Office released this year showed increasing the minimum wage to $13.10 an hour could result in some families taking home $30 less each month, once lost public benefits are taken into account.

On Monday, Kotek said her proposal's three-year phase-in would soften that problem -- commonly referred to as the "benefits cliff." But she acknowledged that lawmakers would have to do more research on the effects.

Seattle and Los Angeles recently voted to raise their minimums to $15 an hour. Activists want Oregon to act, too.

"We were hopeful coming into this session," said Andrea Paluso, co-chair of the Fair Shot For All coalition, which supports a higher minimum wage. "It's something we feel families can't afford to wait much longer to address."

Kotek said activists will probably start collecting signatures for ballot measure campaigns in 2016 if the Legislature doesn't act.

"By next November, we'll probably have a ballot measure that talks about a statewide impact," Kotek said. "As the Legislature, we have to chart a course for the state."

-- Ian K. Kullgren

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