Bill would raise minimum wage

WASHINGTON, July 27 (UPI) -- More than 100 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have agreed to co-sponsor a bill to raise the federal minimum wage.

The measure, written by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., would add 85 cents an hour to the minimum every year for the next three years, increasing it from $7.50 to $9.80, The Hill reported. After that, the minimum wage would be indexed to the rate of inflation.

The minimum wage has not been increased since 2007.

The minimum for restaurant servers and other employees who receive tips has been unchanged for even longer, set at $2.13 an hour for more than two decades. Under Miller's bill, it would be increased 85 cents a year until it reaches 70 percent of the minimum wage.

"Anyone who works hard and plays by the rules should not live in poverty. Yet 47 million Americans now qualify as the working poor. Raising the minimum wage helps families make ends meet," Miller said.

Given the Republican majority in the House, the bill is unlikely to pass.