State Senator Craig Miner Votes Against Raising the Minimum Wage

Hartford-State Senator Craig Miner (R-Litchfield), Senate Republican Chairman of the General Assembly’s Labor Committee, voted against S.B. 13 and H.B. 6208 which would gradually raise the minimum wage from $10.10 to $15.00 an hour. S.B. 13 failed on a split committee vote, but H.B. 6208 passed.

“In recent years, Connecticut politicians have been too focused on the minimum wage,” said Senator Miner. “My goal is to create an environment where all of our hard working citizens have the chance to earn a real middle class income, not just the bare-minimum. We can only do that by making Connecticut a friendlier place to do business. Raising the minimum wage again will not do that.”

Connecticut last passed a minimum wage increase bill in 2013. The process was phased in over several years, concluding January 1st, 2017 when the minimum wage increased to $10.10/hour. If H.B. 6208 passes, the first increase would be effective January 1st, 2018 to $11.00/hour.

“Connecticut already has one of the highest minimum wages in the United States,” continued Senator Miner. “The last increase in the minimum wage wasn’t thirty years ago, it was in January. Increasing the minimum wage yet again will send a clear message to businesses in Connecticut and elsewhere that the State has no intention of providing them with a predictable regulatory environment.”