Wisconsin's minimum wage would increase by 75 cents immediately and follow the rate of inflation in the future under a proposal announced by state Senate Democrats Wednesday.

The legislation would bring Wisconsin's hourly minimum wage up to $7.25 and might go into effect as early as September.

Josh Wescottt, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, said before an increase two years ago, the state went more than 10 years without increasing the minimum wage.

Raising the wage, Wescottt added, should not have to be a "big political battle" every 10 or 15 years.

State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, said a minimum wage increase would have a positive impact on the economy.

"It puts money in the hands of people who need it and who spend it," Black said.

Black added the increase would benefit businesses that "pay a decent wage" and would no longer place them at a competitive disadvantage.

"The minimum wage affects people in all age groups," Black said. "[The increase] certainly would benefit college students who often have minimum-wage jobs … but also benefit middle-aged groups and senior citizens who are trying to supplement meager retirement incomes."

However, state Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, said he opposes the proposal, calling it a "job-killer."

"It is counterproductive to both consumers and for employees and the people that employ them," Suder said.

He said the Democrats' agenda is "off the mark" and simply hikes taxes on small businesses. The increase, Suder added, would ultimately be passed on to consumers.

Mike Prentiss, a spokesperson for state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the increase would cause a "higher cost of doing business" in Wisconsin and would make it harder for businesses to create jobs.

"Nothing in [the Democrat] agenda is going to lower the tax burden on job-creators in Wisconsin," said Prentiss, adding such taxes pose major obstacles for Wisconsin businesses.

Carrie Lynch, a spokesperson for Joint Finance Committee co-chair Russ Decker, D-Weston, cited a study by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, a University of Wisconsin research group, that reported the "vast majority" of people who would benefit from the increase would be women and minorities.

About 80 percent of the demographic helped would be adults older than age 20, Lynch added.

And, Black said, passing the bill — presented in the Democratic-controlled Senate — would likely be a challenge in the Republican-controlled Assembly.

"Unfortunately, the Assembly Republicans have blocked pro-worker bills in the past," Black said.

Prentiss said a minimum-wage increase only "nibbles around the edges" of more important issues like health care and cutting taxes.

"Four years in the minority talking about health care as their No. 1 priority, … and they have yet to introduce anything," Prentiss said.

Wescott said the wage increase could save tax money and ease pressure on state health care programs such as BadgerCare. The bulk of the people using these programs, he said, are on the lower end of the wage bracket.