You had to expect that at some point a minimum wage hike bill would show up here, and today’s the day. We give you House Bill 374, which provides that…

Proposed law establishes a state minimum wage and sets it at $10 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

Proposed law provides that the state minimum wage shall be $12 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Proposed law provides that the state minimum wage shall be $14 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2028.

Proposed law requires that if the federal minimum wage is raised, the state minimum wage shall also be raised to that amount.

Proposed law provides that in addition to any other remedy provided by law, an employee shall have a civil right of action for damages against an employer for a violation of the provisions of proposed law.

Proposed law provides that the employee may file a civil action in a parish, city, or district court of proper venue in the following manner:

(1) If the employer is a natural or juridical person, venue for the civil action shall be proper if brought in the parish where the plaintiff is domiciled, or the parish where the work or service subject to minimum wage was performed, or a parish of proper venue pursuant to present law.

(2) If the employer is the state, venue for the civil action shall be proper in the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish.

(3) If the employer is a public entity other than the state, venue shall be proper in the parish of its domicile.

Proposed law provides that any employer who violates the provisions of proposed law shall be liable to the affected employee in the amount of the difference between the amount that the employee was paid and the amount the employer was statutorily obligated to pay, plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs associated with the civil action.

Proposed law provides that any civil action filed to recover wages for a violation of proposed law shall be commenced within 3 years from the date that an employee becomes aware that the employer is in violation of proposed law.

The author of this thing is Rep. Ed Larvadain, a left-wing Democrat from Alexandria. He’s holding water for the governor, John Bel Edwards, who made a big production over the need for the state to raise its minimum wage.

But here’s the problem.

Raising the minimum wage doesn’t help minimum wage workers. Not on net. Some will get a raise they didn’t deserve; a lot more will lose their jobs.

This is how you get kiosks instead of fast food workers, parking lot attendants and other things.

To make minimum wage means you aren’t good at your job – or any job. We’re in the middle of a fairly intense labor shortage and that’s done more to increase the pay of unskilled people than any law could. Anybody who is halfway good at a minimum wage job won’t be making minimum wage long – employers are desperate for people who are competent.

Essentially, the minimum wage advocacy is about driving up the price of unskilled and incompetent labor. When you drive up the price for something you reduce its demand.

And the effect of essentially doubling Louisiana’s minimum wage is that people who don’t have good job skills – or any job skills at all – won’t be able to get jobs. Businesses will shut down because they can’t afford to pay $14 per hour, or they’ll automate those jobs.

That will make an underclass which is unemployable. Employers will not pay somebody $14 per hour to do nothing, or to text people on their phones when they’re supposed to be working, or show up late or high or refuse to take direction from their boss. At $7.25 per hour you put up with some of that because you hope to train your people as to what’s required of them. At $14 per hour, forget it.

So they won’t learn. They’ll sit on a stoop and waste away the days on welfare.

And they’ll vote for politicians like Ed Larvadain and John Bel Edwards due to the never-ending promises of free government stuff.

It’s not that this is a stupid bill. It’s an evil bill. Ed Larvadain is evil for bringing it and so is Edwards for demanding it.

So while Larvadain gets the Terrible Bill O’ The Day award, Edwards gets a special mention, richly deserved.