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For approximately 14 hours, beginning Wednesday night before being approved around noon on Thursday, May 9, members of the state’s House of Representatives debated the merits of the bill before passing it.
If approved, Connecticut would be the seventh state in the country to take measures to phase in a $15 minimum wage, including New York and Massachusetts. The bill passed by an 85-59 vote and will advance to the Senate.
The new plan calls for the current $10.10 wage to increase to $11 an hour on Oct. 21, then up another dollar on Sept. 1 next year. Minimum wage would be bumped to $13 on Aug. 1, 2021, $14 on July 1 the following year before finally peaking at $15 an hour as of June 1, 2023.
Minimum wage for restaurants would remain unchanged, with waiters seeing a continued minimum wage of $6.38 an hour and $8.25 for bartenders.
According to reports, the debate lasted as long as it did as Republicans argued it would further harm an already damaged economy, while Democrats believe that the state needs a course correct to help lower-income workers.
“If our economy doesn’t work for everyone, then it doesn’t work. It’s that simple,” Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement on Thursday. “I’m doing everything possible to engage the business community so they can grow here, relocate or stay and hire Connecticut residents who represent the top workforce in the country.
“In order to grow, we need policies that protect our workforce and the small businesses who need them. Raising the minimum wage will help lift families out of poverty, combat persistent pay disparities between races and genders, and stimulate our economy.
"This compromise represents a fair, gradual increase that will improve the lives of working families in our state who struggle to pay for childcare, afford tuition, put food on the table, pay the mortgage, or cover the rent.”
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