D.C. Law 22-163. Initiative No. 77 -- Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2018.
AN ACT
This Initiative will: Gradually increase the minimum wage in the District of Columbia to $15.00 hourly by 2020; Gradually increase the minimum wage for tipped employees so that they receive the same minimum wage directly from their employer as other employees by 2026; Beginning in 2021, require the minimum wage to increase yearly in proportion to increases in the Consumer Price Index; The minimum wage increases under the initiative will not apply to District of Columbia government employees or employees of District of Columbia government contractors.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE ELECTORS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the "Initiative No. 77 -- Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2018".
Sec. 2. Section 4 of the Minimum Wage Act Revision Act of 1992, effective March 25, 1993 (D.C. Law 9-248; D.C. Official Code § 32-1003), is amended as follows:
(a) Subsection (a) is amended as follows:
(1) Paragraph (5) is amended to read as follows:
"(5) Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section, as of July 1, 2016, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be $11.50 an hour, or the minimum wage set by the United States government pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, plus $1, whichever is greater.".
(2) Paragraph (6) is amended to read as follows:
"(6) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2017, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be not less than $12.50 an hour.".
(3) New paragraphs (7), (8), (9), and (10) are added to read as follows:
"(7) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2018, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be not less than $13.25 an hour.
"(8) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2019, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be not less than $14.00 an hour.
"(9) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2020, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be not less than $15.00 an hour.
"(10) (A) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, beginning on July 1, 2021 and no later than July 1 of each successive year, the minimum wage provided in this subsection shall be increased in proportion to the annual average increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor for the previous calendar year. Any increase under this paragraph shall be adjusted to the nearest multiple of $.05.
"(B) The Mayor shall publish in the District of Columbia Register and make available to employers a bulletin announcing the adjusted minimum wage rate as provided in this paragraph. The bulletin shall be published at least 30 days before the annual minimum wage rate adjustment.".
(b) Subsection (f) is amended to read as follows:
"(f)(1) As of January 1, 2005, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be $2.77 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(2) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2018, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than $4.50 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(3) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2019, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than $6.00 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(4) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2020, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than $7.50 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(5) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2021, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than $9.00 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(6) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2022, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than $10.50 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(7) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2023, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than $12.00 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(8) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2024, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than $13.50 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(9) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2025, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than $15.00 an hour; provided, that the employee actually receives gratuities in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.
"(10) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2026, the minimum wage required to be paid by any employer in the District of Columbia to any employee who receives gratuities shall be not less than the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.".
(c) A new subsection (i) is added to read as follows:
"(i) The provisions of subsection (a)(6), (7), (8), (9) and (10) of this section and subsection (f)(2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9) and (10) of this section shall not apply to employees of the District of Columbia, or to employees employed to perform services provided under contracts with the District of Columbia. Those employees shall continue to be subject to the minimum wage requirements of
Sec. 3. Nothing in this act shall be construed as preventing the Council of the District of Columbia from increasing minimum wages or benefits to levels in excess of those provided for in this act for any category of employees, including those employees described in section 4(i) of the Minimum Wage Act Revision Act of 1992, effective March 25, 1993 (D.C. Law 9-248; D.C. Official Code § 32-1003(i)).
Sec. 4. If any section of this act or its application to any persons or circumstances is held invalid, the remainder of this measure, or the application of its provisions to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected.
To this end, the provisions of this act are severable.
Sec. 5. This act shall supersede any amendments to section 4 of the Minimum Wage Act Revision Act of 1992, effective March 25, 1993 (D.C. Law 9-248; D.C. Official Code § 32-1003), enacted on or after June 1, 2016, but before the effective date of this act.
Sec. 6. This act shall take effect after a 30-day period of congressional review as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)).
