TRENTON — The state Senate Budget Committee will take up a bill this afternoon to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 and then increase it annually based on the rate of inflation.

The bill, which passed the Assembly in May, had stalled amid Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s (D-Gloucester) push to write the wage hike and cost of living adjustments into the constitution through a referendum. That would circumvent Gov. Chris Christie, who has pledged to veto the automatic annual raises.

After a long stalemate, Assembly and Senate Democrats have agreed to send the bill to Christie. If he does not sign it, they plan to put it before voters next year.

Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) plans a press conference with supporters of the bill before the Senate hearing.

Christie has said he’s open to negotiating with the Democrats.

“I've always been willing to negotiate. They haven't come to negotiate with me. In fact, I sat with them this past week for an hour and a half — neither one of them ever brought up minimum wage,” Christie said on Friday.

“The only way I would have known about it is by reading it in the newspaper. When they're ready to negotiate, I have a table, I'm ready to negotiate. If they don't want to negotiate, then I will do what I need to do.”

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