S125 raises the state minimum wage in two steps. It increases the minimum wage to $16 per hour on January 1, 2026, and then to $17 per hour on January 1, 2027.
The Rhode Island Senate passed S125 on June 12, 2025 by a vote of 33 to 4. We have assigned pluses to the nays because minimum-wage laws are anti-constitutional, discriminatory acts of government theft. They forcibly deny the property rights of both employers and employees by violating their freedom of association, preventing individuals from entering into contracts voluntarily according to their own terms. As dishonest and manipulative tactics to control labor in the economy, minimum-wage laws create an unequal balance of wealth confiscation and redistribution, hindering the best workers from getting the best jobs at the best prices.
