Senate Votes To Increase Rhode Island Minimum Wage To $11.50

The Rhode Island Senate approved a bill Tuesday night to increase the state's minimum wage by one dollar, bringing it to $11.50. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Erin Lynch Prata, said the measure is needed to help Rhode Island residents struggling to make ends meet.

"With the costs of living rising each year while most people's wages remain stagnant, it is important that we help our hard-working residents who are struggling to pay for daily living expenses for themselves and their families,"Lynch Prata, a Warwick Democrat, said. "This raise in the minimum wage is a good step in ensuring that our residents have enough money to pay for a roof over their heads and put food on their table."

Rhode Island's minimum wage has steadily increased over the past few years after holding steady at $7.40 for several years. In 2013, that increased to $7.75 before being bumped up another 25 cents to $8 the next year. In 2015, the minimum wage jumped to $9 per hour, with annual increases starting in 2017 bringing it to $10.50, which took effect in January of this year.

If approved by the House and signed into law by Gov. Gina Raimondo, the wage increase would take effect on January 1, 2020.

The increase would bring Rhode Island closer to next-door neighbor Massachusetts, where the minimum wage is $12 per hour. Here's a look at how our state compares to the rest of New England:

• Rhode Island (current): $10.50
• New Hampshire: $7.25
• Vermont: $10.78
• Maine: $11
• Massachusetts: $12
• Connecticut: $10.10
• Federal minimum wage: $7.25