HARTFORD, Conn. – In Connecticut, Democratic legislators are trying to increase the state’s minimum wage from $10.10 to $15 per hour, the Wall Street Journal reports. However, with the Senate now 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, victory is far from assured.

Earlier this week, state Rep. James Albis sponsored the bill to increase the state’s minimum wage. That legislation acquired more than 40 co-sponsors. “It’s a very good start,” Albis said. “But we have a lot of work to do.”

Since 2010, Gov. Dannel Malloy, along with fellow Democrats, has passed two previous minimum wage hikes. But replicating that success will be difficult, given the evenly divided Senate. The Democrats control the House of Representatives. “Being tied in the Senate is a totally different dynamic,” said Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Len Fasano, who is against a $15 minimum wage.

Business interests aren’t thrilled with the idea of raising the minimum wage, given the state’s so-so job recovery from the 2007-2009 recession. “It’s the wrong time to be thinking about this in Connecticut,” said Eric Gjede with the Connecticut Business & Industry Association.

In November, four states voted for higher minimum wages (Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington). Meanwhile, the International Franchise Association is asking the Supreme Court to rule on its objection to Seattle’s $15 per hour minimum wage.