Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley voted Friday against adding a minimum wage hike to the current COVID-19 relief bill in the Senate, but is calling for a higher minimum wage — and a tax credit — for some blue-collar workers.

Hawley, in a stand-alone bill, would require companies that make more than $1 billion annually to pay a $15 starting wage. In the meantime, his “Blue Collar Bonus Tax Credit” plan would give workers a bonus directly through an automatic, advanceable tax credit tied to hours worked.

He says this takes the burden off of small businesses and should be the “focus of the stimulus package.”

Hawley explained his bills, speaking from Washington with Missourinet’s Ashley Byrd: