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The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, which will benefit millions of low-wage workers across the country.

On Thursday, the House voted 231-199 for the passage of the Raise the Wage Act, which will gradually increase the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 to $15 per hour by October 2025.

The legislation will then index future increases in the federal minimum wage to median wage growth. In addition, it will phase out the sub-minimum pay for tipped workers and teen worker to ensure that they receive at least the full federal minimum wage.

Furthermore, the Raise the Wage Act eliminates the sub-minimum wage certificates for workers with disabilities, giving them the opportunity to be competitively employed and fully participate in their communities.

Raising the federal minimum wage is a victory for workers

According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), around 33.5 million workers across the country will benefit from the legislation. By 2025, low-wage workers will see their wages increase by $2,800 annually.

In a tweet, the EPI said the passage of the Raise the Wage Act in the House is a “victory” that “belongs to workers—starting with the fast food workers who first walked off their jobs in 2012. This is a historic step forward, but we can't and won't stop fighting until a living wage is a reality for every worker! #FightFor15.”

In a statement, Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, the author of the legislation and Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, commented, “Today, House Democrats took a major step toward raising wages for up to 33 million American workers. After more than 10 years with no increase in the federal minimum wage – the longest stretch in history – the minimum wage is now a poverty wage everywhere in America. The Raise the Wage Act reflects the basic idea that hardworking Americans working full-time should not live in poverty.”

“But the Raise the Wage Act is not only good for workers; it is good for the economy. When we put money in the pockets of workers, they will spend that money in their local economies. Gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 will stimulate economic growth, particularly in struggling communities,” added Rep. Scott.

Sen. McConnell will not bring the legislation for a vote in the Senate

It is highly unlikely that the Raise the Wage Act will become a law before the 2020 presidential election.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) expressed his intention to shelve the legislation citing the reason that it will slow down the country’s economic growth.