HARTFORD — Democrats in the Connecticut General Assembly are pledging to increase the state’s minimum wage.
House and Senate leaders on Tuesday said they’ll push for a “livable wage” during the new legislative session, which opens Wednesday. Connecticut’s minimum wage is currently $10.10 an hour.
Democratic Senate President Martin Looney suggests the wage could climb to $11 an hour, beginning January 2019. It would then increase to $15 by 2023. He says lawmakers could then link the wage to an index, ensuring it would automatically increase without the General Assembly having to pass legislation every few years.
The minimum wage idea appears on the Democrats’ so-called “values agenda,” which also includes paid family medical leave.
Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano says some of the Democrats’ proposals are “nothing more than political rhetoric.”
