Want to get paid a livable minimum wage? Move to Connecticut.

Connecticut's legislature on Wednesday voted to raise the state's minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2017, making it the first state in the nation to do so. Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy, who has touted the proposal alongside President Obama, is expected to sign it shortly.

Meanwhile, Obama and congressional Democrats have been stymied in their efforts to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, with Republicans alleging that such a move would undercut businesses and harm the economy. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, for its part, estimated that a wage hike of that magnitude could cost the economy 500,000 jobs. But most economists have determined that raising the minimum wage by a few bucks wouldn't have much impact on the economy. The White House, predictably, agrees with the latter assessment.

Regardless, the hope among Democrats and supporters of a higher minimum wage is that Connecticut's action will spur other states — and possibly recalcitrant Republicans in Washington — to follow suit.

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