In three years, Rhode Island has seen the minimum wage climb from $7.25 to $8 per hour. It just recently went up to $9 at the start of 2015. Now, state legislators will raise the minimum wage again, to $10.10 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2016.

Rep. David Bennett introduced the bill that would raise the current hourly minimum by $1.10, because he believes it is difficult to live off $9 an hour. He also argues that by boosting the minimum wage, they are hoping that will translate to more local money spent, which will help stimulate the economy.

“Now is a good time to give them another boost in their wages. As we come out of the recession, they’ll fare as well as everyone else,” said Bennett.

Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat, also supports an increase of minimum wage, but proposes that it be relative to the Consumer Price Index, and caps increases at 50 cents per year.

Though Gina Raimondo is in favor of raising the minimum wage, that decision was not unanimous. At the hearing on the bill, smaller businesses and organizations opposed the bill, saying it would be very difficult to afford

Rhode Island is taking the lead for raising minimum wage in New England with this action, however Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts are also planning future raises. 

Could this change help reduce the unemployment rate in Rhode Island, which is one of the worst in the country? It could add incentive for the many college students in the state to stay in the state after graduation. The job creation that could come from this may finally fuel the state’s brain drain that it has struggled with for years.

Note: The content of this article has changed to support that this bill has passed