HARTFORD — Connecticut’s minimum wage is one step closer to going up.

A bill passed by the state Labor and Employees Committee March 15 would raise the state minimum wage for the first time in three years from $8.25 per hour to $8.75 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2013.

The wage would rise to $9.25 per hour a year after that, and indexed beginning Jan. 1, 2015 to keep up with inflation.

The bill was proposed by State Rep. Christopher Donovan (D-84) of Meriden, but the one passed made a few compromises. The original bill called for the minimum wage to be raised to $9 per hour starting July 1, then to $9.75 next year before being indexed the year after that.

Donovan backed off from the original proposal over concerns the higher wage would have a negative impact on businesses, making it harder for them to take on new hires, especially entry-level employees.

“We heard concerns both about the amount of the increase and the timing of the implementation,” Donovan says. “The bill as it stands now addresses those concerns and still helps low-income workers across our state.”

Connecticut’s current minimum wage is $1 higher than the federal minimum, and is one of the highest in the country. It was raised to $8.25 from $8 in January 2010. The federal minimum of $7.25 was raised from $6.55 per hour in July 2009.

Donovan’s bill next moves on to the House of Representatives.