BATON ROUGE – The governor hopes to sway politicians into approving an increase in the state's minimum wage.

The plan was outlined Tuesday as part of Governor John Bel Edwards' plans for the upcoming regular meeting of state lawmakers at the capitol in downtown Baton Rouge. The session, known as the Regular Session, starts Monday.

The governor is working with New Orleans state Senator Troy Carter (D) to bring minimum wage up to $8.50 over a two year period.

"There hasn't been an increase to the minimum wage since 2009 but the cost of goods has increased by 35 percent, which impacts families, communities and employers," said Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Ava Dejoie. "It's essential we work together to raise the minimum wage to strengthen families, grow our economy and build a stronger workforce."

Louisiana has no official minimum wage, instead, employers are required to pay workers the federal minimum - $7.25 an hour.

In plans outlined Tuesday, the governor also said he hopes to deal with equal pay issues between men and women. 

House Bill 222 Authored by Rep. Helena Moreno (D-New Orleans) would promote pay transparency by prohibiting employers from taking actions against employees for inquiring about, discussing or disclosing their wages or those of other employees.

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