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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 2
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 4947
Referred to Committee on LABOR AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Introduced by:
(LAB)
AN ACT INCREASING THE MINIMUM FAIR WAGE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 31-58 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 2
October 1, 2019): 3
(i) "Minimum fair wage" in any industry or occupation in this state 4
means a wage of not less than six dollars and seventy cents per hour, 5
and effective January 1, 2003, not less than six dollars and ninety cents 6
per hour, and effective January 1, 2004, not less than seven dollars and 7
ten cents per hour, and effective January 1, 2006, not less than seven 8
dollars and forty cents per hour, and effective January 1, 2007, not less 9
than seven dollars and sixty-five cents per hour, and effective January 10
1, 2009, not less than eight dollars per hour, and effective January 1, 11
2010, not less than eight dollars and twenty-five cents per hour, and 12
effective January 1, 2014, not less than eight dollars and seventy cents 13
per hour, and effective January 1, 2015, not less than nine dollars and 14
fifteen cents per hour, and effective January 1, 2016, not less than nine 15
dollars and sixty cents per hour, and effective January 1, 2017, not less 16
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than ten dollars and ten cents per hour, and effective January 1, 2020, 17
not less than twelve dollars per hour, and effective January 1, 2021, not 18
less than thirteen dollars and fifty cents per hour, and effective January 19
1, 2022, not less than fifteen dollars per hour or one-half of one per cent 20
rounded to the nearest whole cent more than the highest federal 21
minimum wage, whichever is greater, except as may otherwise be 22
established in accordance with the provisions of this part. Effective 23
July 1, 2023, and not later than each July fifteenth thereafter, the Labor 24
Commissioner shall announce an adjustment in the minimum fair 25
wage which shall be equal to the percentage increase between the last 26
complete calendar year and the previous calendar year in the 27
consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers in 28
the northeast urban area of New York-Northern New Jersey-Long 29
Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA, with no seasonal adjustment, as calculated by 30
the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, 31
with the amount of the minimum fair wage increase rounded to the 32
nearest five cents. The minimum fair wage plus the adjustment 33
announced by the Labor Commissioner on July fifteenth shall become 34
the new minimum fair wage and shall be effective on the January first 35
immediately following. All wage orders in effect on October 1, 1971, 36
wherein a lower minimum fair wage has been established, are 37
amended to provide for the payment of the minimum fair wage herein 38
established except as hereinafter provided. Whenever the highest 39
federal minimum wage is increased, the minimum fair wage 40
established under this part shall be increased to the amount of said 41
federal minimum wage plus one-half of one per cent more than said 42
federal rate, rounded to the nearest whole cent, effective on the same 43
date as the increase in the highest federal minimum wage, and shall 44
apply to all wage orders and administrative regulations then in force. 45
[The rates for learners, beginners, and persons under the age of 46
eighteen years shall be not less than eighty-five per cent of the 47
minimum fair wage for the first two hundred hours of such 48
employment and equal to the minimum fair wage thereafter, except 49
institutional training programs specifically exempted by the 50
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commissioner.] 51
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 31-58(i)
Statement of Purpose:
To provide more economic security to Connecticut families by
increasing the minimum fair wage.
Co-Sponsors: SEN. LOONEY, 11th Dist.; SEN. DUFF, 25th Dist.
SEN. KUSHNER, 24th Dist.; SEN. ABRAMS, 13th Dist.
SEN. BERGSTEIN, 36th Dist.; SEN. BRADLEY, 23rd Dist.
SEN. CASSANO, 4th Dist.; SEN. FLEXER, 29th Dist.
SEN. FONFARA, 1st Dist.; SEN. HASKELL, 26th Dist.
SEN. LEONE, 27th Dist.; SEN. LESSER, 9th Dist.
SEN. MCCRORY, 2nd Dist.; SEN. MOORE, 22nd Dist.
SEN. NEEDLEMAN, 33rd Dist.; SEN. OSTEN, 19th Dist.
SEN. WINFIELD, 10th Dist.; REP. WINKLER, 56th Dist.
S.B. 2