Governor John Bel Edwards is pushing for a third year to get the minimum wage increased in the state of Louisiana. He's also encouraging lawmakers to enact equal pay.

The governor appeared Thurday in the Senate labor committee, which advanced the measures to the full Senate for consideration.

There are still some major hurdles before passage in a majority-Republican Legislature that in the past has sided with business groups and opposed such measures in previous votes.

If approved though, the proposals would raise Louisiana's minimum wage from the $7.25 per hour federal level to $8 an hour in 2019 then bump to $8.50 a year later. Another option would be to let voters decide through a constitutional change.

Additionally, the governor wants to extend an equal pay law governing state workers to cover any business that gets a state contract. The new legislation would also prohibit employers from taking action against workers who talk about their pay.

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