Oklahoma Lawmakers Looking To Raise State Minimum Wage

Lawmakers are considering raising Oklahoma's minimum wage for the first time in decades.

The proposed bill would boost the minimum wage to $13 an hour, with 50-cent increases for the next five years.

Reno Hammond, business manager at the Laborer's International Union of North America, said bringing wages up could help keep more workers in Oklahoma.

"People will chase where the dollars are, and where the better workng conditions and benefits are," Hammond said. "State borders aren't going to stop that."

Opponents say raising the minimum wage could cause other prices to increase. Right now, Oklahoma's minimum sits at $7.25 which is the current federal rate.