During his annual budget address at the Pennsylvania Capitol, Gov. Josh Shapiro called on lawmakers to increase the state's minimum wage. "I’m not looking to give a handout. I want to give a hand up – and create an opportunity economy that gives everyone a shot. In order to create that kind of opportunity, Pennsylvanians need to earn a decent wage. And come on guys, let’s be real, our minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour for 15 years," Shapiro said.Shapiro said it's time to raise Pa.'s minimum wage to $15 an hour. "It’s anticompetitive and it’s hurting our workers. And as we’ve remained at a flat 7.25, every single one of our neighboring states has raised their minimum wage, as have 30 other states across the country. We’ve seen proof that Pennsylvania workers living in border counties would rather drive into another state for work so they can earn a higher wage than take a job at home in Pennsylvania," the governor said. Shapiro argued that increasing the wage would make Pennsylvania more competitive and create more economic opportunity. Previous bill stalledLast year, the Pennsylvania House narrowly passed a bill to increase minimum wage. It would have done the following:The bill would raise the state's minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $11 an hour at the start of next year.In 2025, the minimum wage would increase to $13 an hour.In 2026, the minimum wage would increase to $15 an hour.Starting in 2027, minimum wage would be indexed to inflation.Opposition to billThe National Federation of Independent Businesses opposed that bill, saying it could lead to more than 100,000 job losses over the next 10 years. The group said 56% of those would come from small businesses."Inflation, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, high fuel prices, spiking utility rates and crushing taxes are dragging down main streets across Pennsylvania. Small business owners simply cannot afford Harrisburg politicians saddling them with such drastic labor cost increases," NFIB State Director Greg Moreland said at the time.