U.S. House Votes To Raise Minimum Wage [POLL]

New Yorkers saw their minimum hourly wage salaries go up at the end of 2018. According to the Economic Policy Institute, about 464,000 minimum wage workers saw their paychecks increase, though how much depended on where one lives in the state.

According to the New York Department of Labor, minimum wage rates increased on Dec. 31 and will increase at the end of each year until they reach $15 per hour. The rate of increase in New York City depended on the number of employees a company has, while on Long Island and in Westchester, the minimum wage was raised to $12 and will go up $1 each year until it reaches $15.

It's more complicated for the rest of the state, but the minimum wage will increase based on economic indices, the DOL said.

On Thursday, the Democratic-majority House of Representatives passed legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour nationwide over the next six years from $7.25, CNBC reported.

Beginning in 2019, the minimum wage would be $8.40 and would increase by $1.10 each year until it reached $15 in 2025.

If passed by the Senate, which is unlikely, the "Raise the Wage Act" would benefit 33 million workers, 90 percent of whom are 20 years of age or older and 58 percent are women.

The Congressional Budget Office was less optimistic in its appraisal of the effects of a $15 minimum wage.

It said only 27 million workers would be either directly affected or potentially affected.

The CBO also said that states that didn't already have a $15 minimum wage could see low-wage workers at a greater risk for joblessness.

SEE ALSO: Here's How Much Minimum Wage In New York Is Increasing

Among those who voted to increase the minimum wage were Rep. Antonio Delgado, a Rhinebeck Democrat, and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat from Cold Spring.

Delgado said he joined his colleagues to raise the wages for the 80,000 workers in his district.

"Every American deserves to be paid a living wage that can support them and their family," he said.

Maloney said it was about leveling the playing field for every family and worker across America.

"New York has already been a leader on this, but we're well overdue for a minimum wage increase on the national level," he said.

Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, who is the top Republican on the House's Education and Labor Committee, said the bill would hurt families and businesses.

She called the legislation a "job-killing, income-reducing bill," and Congress should pass laws that would empower communities and create opportunities for all workers and families, Roll Call reported.

So now it's your turn to chime in. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.