Labor & Employment (Labor Standards)

HB 1549 updates Pennsylvania's minimum wage law by establishing new hourly rates for workers in different county classifications, effective starting in 2026. It sets a $15 per hour minimum wage for workers in first-class counties (like Philadelphia) beginning January 1, 2026, with annual cost-of-living adjustments tied to the CPI-U index for the PA/NJ/DE/MD region. For other counties (second, third, fourth, or sixth class based on 2020 census populations), it sets a $12 hourly rate starting in 2026, increasing to $15 by 2028, followed by the same CPI-based annual adjustments. This directly affects all hourly workers in Pennsylvania, with rates varying by county size and population.

HB 276 creates a permanent Employee Misclassification Working Group to coordinate state agencies addressing worker classification issues. The bill requires departments like Labor and Revenue to collaborate on identifying and resolving cases where employers wrongly classify workers as independent contractors. This working group will develop strategies to protect workers' access to benefits like unemployment insurance and workers' compensation. The law directly affects state agencies managing labor enforcement and workers' rights, aiming to improve interagency efficiency in tackling misclassification.

HB 630 amends Pennsylvania's Equal Pay Law to strengthen protections against wage discrimination based on sex, race, or ethnicity. It adds definitions for "comparable work" (requiring similar skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions) and clarifies that "wages" include all compensation like fringe benefits. The bill explicitly bans employers from requiring employees to refrain from discussing wages, using salary history to set pay, or asking about prior wages during hiring. It also establishes an Equal Pay Enforcement Fund to support enforcement efforts and clarifies that job titles alone cannot determine if jobs are comparable.