Equal pay, minimum wage bills die in La. House committee
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana lawmakers have voted to keep the state minimum wage as low as possible under federal law and spurned a proposal to make state contractors pay men and women equally.
The House labor committee Thursday first killed a bill forcing companies with state contracts to pay male and female employees doing similar jobs the same amount. It then voted down a measure that would establish a minimum wage of $15 an hour.
New Orleans Rep. Joe Bouie sponsored both bills. He says Louisiana is endorsing discrimination by not mandating equal pay from state contractors.
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He also said the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is insufficient. Opponents say most employers can't pay $15 and existing laws already ensure equal pay. The Senate rejected similar proposals Tuesday.