Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat, has signed legislation into law that will increase Connecticut’s minimum wage to $10.10 by 2017.
The law is titled “An Act Concerning Working Families’ Wages” and is Senate Bill No. 32. President Barack Obama visited the state recently to draw attention to the effort.
Last year, Malloy signed a bill that increased the state minimum wage Jan. 1 from $8.25 to $8.70. The new law will raise the minimum wage by an additional 45 cents, to $9.15, on Jan. 1, 2015, followed by another 45-cent increase, to $9.60, on Jan. 1, 2016, and then a 50-cent increase, to $10.10, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Two states — Washington and Oregon — are currently above $9 per hour, topping hourly minimum wages nationally. New York is $8 per hour.
“This legislation is about making sure that people working full time and supporting families aren’t living in poverty,” Malloy said. “The extra money that these folks earn will put back into our economy and help our communities. I am proud that Connecticut is once again a leader on an issue of national importance.”
“In signing this bill, Governor Malloy positioned Connecticut as a state that is truly committed to its workforce,” said Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.
“Three weeks to the day after President Obama’s visit to New Britain, the Connecticut General Assembly sent a message that it values its hardworking residents,” said state Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn. “The majority of workers earning the minimum wage are men and women who struggle to provide for themselves and their families. Those men and women deserve an honest wage for a hard day’s work.”
Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, said, “Raising the minimum wage helps people who need it most, is good for our economy and is the right thing to do. This will put a little extra money in the pockets of hardworking families who will spend it in our communities, and I hope other states and Congress will follow our lead.”
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