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In the legislative session that begins Wednesday, some legislators the General Assembly will look for ways to increase the state’s $10.10 an hour minimum wage, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2017. The minimum wage increased last week to $12 an hour in Massachusetts as part of a step-by-step plan to bring it to $15 per hour by January 2023.

It is partially with an eye on neighboring states that many legislators here are looking to increase Connecticut’s minimum wage this legislative session.

East Haven Rep. James Albis, co-chair of the Progressive Caucus in the state legislature, said his caucus put forward a bill that would get Connecticut to a $15 minimum wage. Albis said a paid family leave bill being submitted this session is similar to bills that passed out of the Labor and Finance committees last year but stalled on the floor of the House and Senate. The bill introduced last session would have required all private-sector employees to contribute a small portion of their paychecks to a fund to pay for the program, which would have allowed for 12 weeks of paid leave, he said.

Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, said of marijuana legalization, “I think it’ll certainly be a key issue as we enter into this session. Certainly the landscape from when we considered this bill a year ago has changed.”

Albis wants to start with looking specifically at marijuana-only dispensaries, and he wants to make sure a portion of revenue goes to substance abuse prevention and a campaign to reduce distracted driving and driving under the influence.