House panel advances $15 minimum wage as Democrats try to include it in Covid relief bill

A House committee early on Wednesday approved a portion of the Democratic coronavirus relief proposal which includes a $15 per hour minimum wage.

The chamber’s Education and Labor panel advanced its piece of the $1.9 trillion aid package in a 27-21 party line vote. The proposal includes a provision to gradually raise the federal pay floor to $15 an hour by 2025.

The House Budget Committee will eventually combine separate panels’ bills into one massive piece of legislation as part of budget reconciliation, which enables the plan to get through...