The proposal could face a tough time passing the state Senate.

Democratic lawmakers are leading a charge in Connecticut to increase state’s hourly minimum wage to $15.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the state’s minimum wage increased to 10.10 on Jan. 1 from $9.60 an hour, but advocates of a further wage increase argue that given the cost of living in the state an entry-level wage that could pay for housing and food in the state would be closer to $19 an hour.

The proposed increase to $15 an hour now faces the hurdle of a state Senate evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. The Democratic Party controls the state House of Representatives.

New York passed a law in 2016 that will raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour in New York City and its suburbs by 2021. The minimum wage in Massachusetts is $11 an hour.