Chants of "Low wage is not OK" were heard around the Capitol Complex Monday during a march and rally to raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10.

About 200 people, including Lt. Gov. Michael Stack, met at the Grace Methodist Church for a morning of speeches and discussions before marching from State Street to Commonwealth Avenue. The marchers shouted chants and held signs in support of their cause.

Once inside the Capitol, the Raise the Wage PA marchers met with legislators in an effort to a raise in the minimum wage.

Rep. Patty Kim, D-Harrisburg, announced she was introducing a bill Wednesday that would raise the minimum wage to $9 in 2015 and to $10.10 in 2016. There would also be a cost of living adjustment included in the minimum wage increase.

"It is time to give 721,000 Pennsylvanians earning a minimum wage a raise," Kim said. "We are on the right side of the issue."

Kim's bill is one of several minimum wage increase bills that legislators said they have planned for the 2015-2016 legislative session.

Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Philadelphia, also introduced a bill that would increase the minimum wage to $9-an-hour, then $10.10-an-hour one year later and then finally to $11.50-an-hour one year after that. The legislation would also implement a cost-of-living increase on Jan. 1 each year.

Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks, was one of the few Republicans legislators that attended the Raise the Wage in PA event. Raising the minimum wage, he said, was "absolutely the right thing to do."

"This should not be a partisan issue," DiGirolamo said. "This should be an issue that Republicans and Democrats should work together on."

About 200 people, including Lt. Gov. Michael Stack, middle, marched from State Street to Commonwealth Avenue in Harrisburg to raise the minimum wage on Feb. 9.

Kim argued that Pennsylvania is falling behind surrounding states who have increased their minimum wages. Maryland, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and others have increased their minimum wages.

"Seven out of 10 Pennsylvania voters support raising the state's minimum wage because they know in their minds it makes sense and in their hearts it's the right thing to do," Kim said.

While a lot of business owners argue that increasing the minimum wage will harm their bottom line, Charlie Crystle, co-founder of the Lancaster Food Company, said that's not true.

"We can afford it," Crystle said. "The reality is that there's a lot businesses that take advantage of people and don't pay an honest days pay for an honest days work."

Crystle said he originally decided to pay his employees $11.25-an-hour but quickly realized that was a "scraping-by wage." He bumped his employees' pay up to $14-an-hour after recalculating and developing a new business model.

"There's a way to do it," Crystle said. "You have to build it into your business model."

Stack argued against detractors that say raising the minimum wage would mean businesses would have to hire less people or let people go.

"When you pay someone a decent minimum wage, a higher minimum wage, you don't get less jobs, you get more job," Stack said. "You get a stronger economy. You get people with more money in their pocket to support their families."

Stack slammed WalMart and other big businesses that pay workers such low wages that they qualify for food stamps.

"Walmart get their whole program of paying a poverty wage subsidized by the government," Stack said. "Don't you think it's time WalMart and other companies pay a fair minimum wage?"