A two-thirds majority of the members of the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Advisory Board sent a letter to state lawmakers March 23 recommending the legislature increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, as neighboring New York, New Jersey and Maryland have already done. The letter, signed by six advisory board members, also recommended allowing localities to establish higher minimum wages and eliminating the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers.

The board, according to the Keystone Research Center, a liberal-leaning think tank, consults with the secretary of Labor and Industry on matters relating to the minimum wage. It was established by statute when Pennsylvania last increased its minimum wage in 2006.