Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed into law a bill raising the state's minimum wage to the highest for any state in the nation, $10.10 an hour.

The new rate will phase in, rising from the current $8.70 an hour to $9.15 on Jan. 1, 2015, then to $9.60 on Jan. 1, 2016, and finally to $10.10 in January 2017.

Gov. Malloy called the signing one of his "proudest days as a governor," adding, "It's time to get people out of poverty."