State Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, speaks to high school students who were visiting the state Capitol in June.

For years, the mantra regarding increasing Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has been go big or go home.

And for years, minimum wage increase proposals in the state Legislature have gone big – and not gone anywhere. State Sen. Daniel Laughlin, R-Erie, is taking a different approach this year by proposing smaller minimum wage increases over the next three years leading up to an $11 an hour minimum wage by 2028.

“In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $11 per hour by 2028,” Laughlin said in his co-sponsorship memorandum. “Our current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has not been raised since 2009 and is one of the lowest in the nation. This stagnant rate fails to reflect the rising cost of living and leaves thousands of hardworking Pennsylvanians struggling to make ends meet.”

Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has been set at $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum, since 2009. Proposals to increase the minimum wage have been introduced every year in recent years, with most of the proposals seeking a phased increase that ends up at $15 an hour.

That changed somewhat in June when the state House of Representatives, in a party line vote, approved legislation to raise the minimum wage in more populous areas, like Philadelphia and Allegheny counties, to $15 per hour while raising the minimum to $12 per hour elsewhere. In Philadelphia County, the rate would change on January 1st of next year, while the other counties would see an increase through 2028. That bill also ties the minimum wage to inflation starting in 2029 and increases the minimum for tipped workers to 60% of the state minimum. The bill has yet to move in the state Senate.

Republicans said the bill was rushed. Those who oppose raising the wage say that it would result in the closure of small businesses who can’t afford to pay their employees that much. They’ve also indicated that very few people make the minimum wage, with most of them being workers like servers who supplement those earnings with tips.

Laughlin’s newest proposal is somewhat of an outlier legislatively in seeking a lower minimum wage than the $15 an hour that has long been sought. The Erie Republican also said he is proposing a modest, phased approach designed to help workers keep pace with the rising cost of living without placing sudden burdens on small businesses.

“A wage increase is not just a moral imperative but also a practical solution to many economic challenges,” Laughlin wrote. “Studies consistently show that raising the minimum wage improves financial stability for workers, reduces reliance on public assistance, and boosts consumer spending–strengthening local economies across the Commonwealth.”

Neighboring New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Delaware will all have minimum wages more than double that of Pennsylvania at or above $15. West Virginia sits at $8.75 and Ohio $10.70. Adjusted for inflation, the 2009 $7.25 minimum wage would be the equivalent of $10.28 today.

“Neighboring states, including New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, have already taken bold steps to increase their minimum wage, leaving Pennsylvania behind in attracting and retaining a stable workforce,” Laughlin said. “As inflation erodes the purchasing power of low-income families, we have an obligation to ensure that those who work full-time jobs can afford basic necessities such as housing, food, and healthcare.”