WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) released the following statement in support of Governor Dan Malloy’s call for raising the minimum wage in Connecticut:

Governor Malloy will be a key ally in our continued fight to raise the minimum wage. Middle class wages have simply not kept pace with the cost of living in our state. As the cost of basic necessities like child care, electricity, and transportation have risen dramatically, real wages for the vast majority of workers, especially low-income workers, have fallen or stagnated. Raising the minimum wage will create jobs—it will put more cash into the pockets of the people who need it and who will also spend it in their communities. That will give local economies a big boost.

Connecticut’s Senators are both original co-sponsors of the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, and which President Obama referenced during his State of the Union Address to Congress.  If passed, the bill would increase the yearly income of full-time minimum wage earners by $3,000, and add $156 million to Connecticut's GDP.