Amid historic inflation that has eaten away at Americans’ paychecks, the mayor of Shelby County is calling for the Tennessee General Assembly to pass a law increasing the minimum wage.
“Today, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris released his administration’s recommendations for the upcoming session of the Tennessee General Assembly,” said a release from Harris’s office. “Mayor Harris’ priorities center around legislative actions that support youth and families, increase public safety, improve access to healthcare, and strengthen our democracy. One of Mayor Harris’ top legislative priorities is the adoption of a state-wide minimum wage of at least $15.”
Harris, a Democrat, has served as Shelby County’s mayor since 2018.
He also said he wants more funding for the county from the state level in order to address a variety of issues, including public safety.
“Additionally, Mayor Harris’ legislative agenda includes requests for more funding for youth and adult mental health supports, state funding for county veteran’s services officers, and a robust slate of public safety recommendations being made jointly by the offices of Mayor Lee Harris, District Attorney General Steve Mulroy, and Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon,” the release said.
Mulroy, who has been soft on crime since taking office, has already made “safety recommendations” in the form of what he calls “police reform.”
“It is past time for the State of Tennessee to adopt a minimum wage of at least $15 per hour. Today, I sent a slate of legislative recommendations to our Shelby County delegation,” said Harris. “Our priorities include a robust joint public safety agenda prepared with DA Mulroy and Judge Sugarmon. We also really dial in on the important issues of access to healthcare, efforts to strengthen our democracy, and support for working families. The best way we can support working families is to do everything we can to ensure that Tennesseans receive a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.”
Shelby County, home to Memphis, has been subject to national news media attention due to a rash of recent violent crime.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Shelby County Court” by Thomas R Machnitzki. CC BY 3.0.
