A high-profile push to hike Tennessee's minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 an hour quietly collapsed at the Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, when the House Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee let the measure die for lack of a second. With no member willing to back the motion, the proposal stalled out for the week, and Tennessee stayed parked at the federal $7.25 floor. Sponsors and advocates say they plan to regroup, but the procedural fizzle underscored just how steep a climb a big, immediate wage jump faces in the legislature.
How the vote went
House Bill 1399, crossfiled in the Senate as SB1357, officially "failed for lack of a second" in the subcommittee, according to LegiScan. The tracking entry lists Feb. 11, 2026, as the date of committee action and marks the bill as completed after the motion went nowhere. That result effectively shuts down this particular attempt at a statewide $20 minimum wage, at least for now.
What the bill would have done
The proposal, sponsored in the House by Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and in the Senate by Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), would have set Tennessee's minimum wage at $20 an hour or the federal minimum, whichever is higher. The bill text on the Tennessee General Assembly site spells out overtime protections, employer posting requirements, and a fiscal note that pegs the potential hit to state and local governments as substantial.
Backers, businesses and the politics
Supporters framed the $20 figure as a response to rising housing, food, and basic living costs across Tennessee, arguing that $7.25 simply does not cut it for workers. Business owners and trade groups countered that a sudden leap to $20 would likely mean higher prices for customers or fewer hours and jobs to go around. Rep. Pearson has told local outlets he wants to raise wages and is open to phased-in options, while small-business owners have publicly worried that such a steep, immediate jump would force tough decisions about staffing and operations, Action News 5 reported.
Where Tennessee stands
Tennessee does not have its own statewide minimum-wage statute, so for most employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal $7.25 an hour rate applies, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Efforts to set a $20 minimum have surfaced before and stalled out, and tracking records show lawmakers have repeatedly deferred or failed similar wage hike bills in recent sessions, LegiScan notes.
What's next
With HB1399 now formally logged as failed in committee, its sponsors have said they intend to huddle and may come back with scaled-down or phased-in versions later in the session. Labor groups and organizers told reporters they plan to keep the heat on with continued testimony, public hearings, and town hall meetings. As WBIR reported, the subcommittee's quick shutoff of the $20 proposal highlights the political headwinds any major wage increase is likely to face this year.
