Almost every single Georgia Democrat in the state Senate is backing a bill that would raise the state minimum wage to $15 and build in annual increases to combat Georgia’s rising cost of living. But to pass, it’ll need bipartisan support in the Georgia General Assembly, which is under Republican control. 

Atlanta Civic Circle spoke with one of Senate Bill 25’s sponsors, state Sen. Nabilah Islam (D-Lawrenceville), to find out what chance she thinks the bid for a $15 minimum wage has this legislative session. The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. Georgia’s minimum wage is even lower, at $5.15 an hour, but the federal rate applies to Georgia workers in almost all cases.

We also talked to two millennial Atlantans, Brandon Beachum and Maurice Haskin, who’ve been working with the new Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW) to push for a $15 minimum wage. Workers around the country have been fighting for the $15 minimum wage for over a decade, saying that’s the bare minimum needed to cover basic living costs like housing, food, transportation, and health care.

Currently, a whopping 21 of the 23 Democrats in the state Senate are co-sponsoring SB 25, but they’re in the minority party. With 56 state senators, they’ll have to work with their Republican counterparts to get traction—and time is running short, as Crossover Day approaches on March 6. That is the deadline for when a bill must pass its respective chamber and cross over to the other side to remain viable this legislative session.

Islam says the key to winning bi-partisan support is centering the conversation around workforce development. “Governor Kemp frequently talks about workforce development being a big issue,” she said. “When jobs pay better, you get better recruitment. We have to pay our workers more.”

Islam said 23 states have passed bills similar to SB 25 since 2001, so…