BATON ROUGE — If a new bill is signed into law, it would send the decision to raise Louisiana's minimum wage to voters.

Sen. Regina Barrow's SB 230 would send a proposed constitutional amendment to establish a "living wage that every employer will be required to pay each employee." 

The Democratic state senator's legislation proposes an amendment to increase the state's minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.25 an hour. If supported by a majority of voters on the Nov. 3 ballot, the new minimum wage would take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

Barrow's proposed amendment would also see the wage rate increased by the rate of inflation for the 12 months before that September according to the Consumer Price Index or a similar index.

On Monday, the bill was introduced to the State Senate and referred to the Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.

Louisiana is currently one of 21 states where the minimum wage is the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour.