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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio Bill SB 234 Raises State Minimum Wage Gradually to $15 Per Hour by 2029
Last action · October 1, 2025: Referred to Workforce DevelopmentSponsors: Kent Smith and 6 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Ohio Senate Bill 234 gradually increases the state minimum wage each year, reaching $12 per hour in 2026, $13 in 2027, $14 in 2028, and $15 per hour by 2029, with annual cost-of-living adjustments thereafter.
Workers covered under Ohio's minimum wage law will see incremental increases in their hourly pay rates over a four-year timeline, while employers will be required to adjust payroll accordingly and maintain compliance records for three years.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Ohio employees
Workers receive phased increases in their hourly pay rates up to $15 per hour by 2029 and gain explicit rights to request payroll records.
Ohio employers
Employers must pay the newly mandated hourly rates, adjust payroll systems annually starting in 2029, and preserve detailed employee records for three years.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will the minimum wage be in Ohio for 2026?
Can local cities or counties set their own minimum wage?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Oct 1, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Workforce Development
- Jul 9, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Graduated Four-Year Minimum Wage Timeline
The legislation establishes a clear, step-by-step increase of one dollar per year from 2026 through 2029, culminating in a $15 floor followed by inflation adjustments.
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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