Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed legislation into law on Thursday that will increase Connecticut’s minimum wage to $10.10 by 2017.
“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.”
Last year, Malloy signed a bill into law that increased the state minimum wage on Jan. 1, 2014 from $8.25 to $8.70. The new law signed by the governor on Thursday 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 finally requires a 50-cent increase to $10.10 effective Jan. 1, 2017.
“In signing this bill, Gov. Malloy positioned Connecticut as a state that is truly committed to its workforce,” said Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman. “I applaud the governor, our legislative leaders and the General Assembly for their efforts to ensure that our minimum wage earners — 56% of whom are women — can build economic stability for themselves and their children. Moreover, this legislation will help 125,000 hardworking Connecticut women who earn at or just above the minimum wage put food on the table, pay rent and create a better life for their families.”
“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 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.”
“This minimum wage bill is not about statistics or numbers, it is about the people,” said House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz (D-Berlin, Southington). “In one of the richest nations in the world, no person who works hard every day to provide for their family should have to live in poverty. A majority of the people who are earning minimum wage are parents, head of households, and people who help to support their families. These people deserve a decent wage for their work.”