ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) _ At least 18 Florida lawmakers plan to live on a minimum wage this week to draw attention to efforts to increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Starting Monday, the lawmakers will live for five days on $17 per day.
That figure represents what a minimum wage worker has after the costs of taxes, childcare and housing are deducted from an $8.05-an-hour paycheck.
The lawmakers, mostly Democrats, will also go grocery shopping with a minimum wage worker at the start of the week.
State Sen. Dwight Bullard and state Rep. Victor Torres are pushing legislation to increase Florida’s current minimum wage from $8.05 to $15 an hour.