Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Discusses Potential For State Minimum Wage Increase

At a forum to discuss the state's minimum wage, Oklahoma's labor commissioner says a law previously passed by legislators is preventing the wage from rising.

State labor commissioner Lesli Osborn said the wage hasn’t moved due in part to a law passed ten years ago.

"A few years ago the state chamber pushed through a bill through the Oklahoma legislature, that no city or county can raise their minimum wage more than what the state does," Osborn said.

Osborn said the only way Oklahoma's minimum wage will increase is if a new state law is passed, or if the federal minimum wage increases.

Supporters of State Question 832 say they still need 92,000 signatures to get the measure on the November ballot.

The initiative would increase the minimum wage to $15 dollars by 2029.