Senator Friedman has taken the lead on the following bill that was originally filed by the late Senator Ken Donnelly in the 2017-2018 legislative session:
- Summary: This bill would raise the minimum wage from $11 to $15 per hour by 2021, and would raise the tipped minimum wage from $3 to $15.75 per hour by 2025. Beginning on January 1, 2022, the bill would require the minimum wage to be indexed to the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Additionally, the bill would define “family childcare providers” as employees and thereby subject to the minimum wage laws. It would also direct the Attorney General’s Office to set the rates for family childcare providers so that the rates reflect an equivalent of a $15 an hour minimum wage.
Senator Friedman has co-sponsored the following bills relative to economic prosperity and opportunity in the 2017-2018 legislative session:
S34 An Act to lift the cap on kids
- Summary: The “Cap on Kids”, also referred to as the “Family Cap”, denies public assistance benefits to children conceived while — or soon after — the family received assistance. This bill would lift the cap.
S35 An Act to promote employment
- Summary: This bill would: (1) require the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) to provide information about education and training opportunities to recipients; (2) expand the definition of education or training activities for purposes of meeting work requirements; (3) direct DTA to screen recipients so they attend appropriate education or training programs; and (4) allow education and training activities to count toward the work requirement for 24 months for parents who need basic education or are attending vocational programs.
S120 An Act relative to fairness in debt collection
- Summary: This bill would: (1) protect individuals with consumer debt by ensuring they retain a basic level of earnings to pay for essential needs; (2) provide certain protections from unscrupulous practices by debt collectors; (3) limit the additional fees and interest that collectors can charge after a judgement; and (4) prohibit the arrest of a borrower who does not pay a judgment.
S701 An Act relative to breaking generational cycles of poverty
- Summary: This bill would create a program that would coordinate work, school, and wrap-around support services for low-income parents receiving Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) assistance who are also enrolled in community college.
S725 An Act relative to interagency efforts to reduce and prevent homelessness
- Summary: This bill would direct the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Executive Office of Education, and Office of Administration and Finance to develop & execute a memorandum of understanding designed to facilitate coordination in the delivery of services to households with incomes below 30% of the area median income to support housing stability and economic mobility.
S1048 An Act establishing a family and medical leave insurance program
- Summary: This bill would establish a Department of Family and Medical Leave within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to administer a family and medical leave insurance program. The insurance program would provide partial wage replacement for workers who need to recover from a serious illness, care for a family member, or to care for a newborn, newly adopted, or new foster child.