Illinois state Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) spoke at the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce's monthly meeting in September, where he discussed the state's decision to go to a $15 minimum wage.
Illinois voted in February to raise the minimum wage to $15 from the current $8.25 by 2025. It's the first state in the midwest to do so.
Windhorst noted that the business community opposed the rapid ramp-up and the one-size-fits-all nature of the legislation. He said the legislation's opponents even argued there should have been a longer phase-in, as well as possibly a regional approach with a lower minimum wage outside of Chicago.
Windhorst also said there were payroll tax credits built into the law, which are supposed to ease the burden for the business community, but that critics still find it problematic.
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