The state Senate passed a minimum wage bill early this morning, which will gradually increase the minimum wage for some 300,000 Connecticut workers from the current $10.10 per hour to $15 per hour by 2023.
House Bill 5004 was approved by the House of Representatives last week. Gov. Ned Lamont said he plans to sign it into law in the next few days.
“Working families are the backbone of our state ”“ if they are not financially stable, Connecticut will never be,” Lamont said. “With this increase in minimum wage, thousands of hardworking women and men ”“ many of whom are supporting families ”“ will get a modest increase that will help lift them out of poverty, combat persistent pay disparities between races and genders, and stimulate our economy.”
“Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour brings Connecticut one step closer to eliminating the gender pay gap because nearly 60 percent of minimum wage earners in our state are women,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “Women”™s issues are economic issues, and if we want to grow our economy, we need to ensure that women have financial security in order to provide for their families.”
The hourly minimum wage will increase to $11 on Oct. 1; $12 on Sept. 1, 2020; $13 on August 1, 2021; $14 on July 1, 2022; and $15 on June 1, 2023. Further wage increases would be indexed to the federal employment cost index.
