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Connecticut Minimum Wage Bill Narrowly Passes Committee

Matt Marton
/
AP

The Connecticut House of Representative's labor committee has advanced a bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next five years.

Democratic Representative Edwin Vargas of Hartford is among those who voted for the bill.

“When it comes to these big box stores, these corporate monopolies and duopolies that take the profits out of the State of Connecticut, one way to redistribute some of that profit back to the people of Connecticut is by raising the minimum wage and keeping some of that revenue right here.

I fail to see how this could hurt the economy. It’s not like some of these businesses are hurting. Some of them are posting historic profits and have been told ‘Well what if Walmart leaves? What if this one leaves?’ It’s not going to happen.”

Meanwhile, Republican Representative David Rutigliano of Trumbull is opposed to the bill and wants to seek alternatives.

“To raise the minimum wage again, after we’ve done it at least 12 out of the past 14 years, really represents the same tired old ideas that just aren’t working.

We have bills in the finance committee to discuss ways to index the earned income credit, which is an incentivizer. People who work get the benefit, they get the subsidy to bring them up out of poverty. There are other ways to do this than to continually burden our small employers.”   

The bill passed the labor committee on Tuesday by a seven to six vote.

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