Rep. Murphy's push to raise the national minimum wage pays off in Florida

Florida Democrats didn't entirely loss every race or initiiative they supported on Election Night. Amendment 2, the controversial measure to raise Florida's mininum wage to $15/hr passed as voters voted for a the pay increase.

Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D) was one of a handful of legislator that pushed the amendment from the very beginnning, offering her own congressional bill to gradually raise the national minimum wage from $7.25/hr to 15/hr.

Republicans railed against the measure citing that business of all sizes could not be able to sustain paying double the hourly wage and aggresively campaigned against Murphy's and Florida's state measures.

"I was proud to help lead the historic effort in the House to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15/hour," stated Rep. Murphy after the wage increase was  voted on. "Floridians have now voted to do the same. Working families in Florida deserve a living wage, and they will soon get one." 

During a very emotional and empassione speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019, Murphy told the story of her and her family's struggle with Communism while living in Vietnam, and their migration to the U.S. after the war in Vietnam.

"In the greatest country on earth, nobody with the dignity of a full time job, should suffer the indignity of not being able to provide for themselves or their loved ones," said Murphy, "For for a decade, the minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour, while the cost of living has skyrocketed and there's no part in this great country where $7.25 is a living wage anymore. It's past time we gave hardworking American families raise they've earned it."

The minimum wage in Florida will not automatically be raised to $15/hour. It will start off at $10/hr then every September 30th, the wage will be increased by$1.00/hr until it reaches the $15/hr threshold.