OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A Washington state lawmaker has introduced a bill to increase what is already the highest state minimum wage in the nation to $12 an hour over the next three years, but the measure faces an uphill battle in a politically divided Legislature.

Under state House Bill 2672, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jessyn Farrell, of Seattle, the rate would first increase — for workers 18 and older — from the current $9.32 an hour to $10 an hour on Jan. 1, 2015. It would increase again to $11 a year later and would hit $12 an hour on Jan. 1, 2017. After that, further annual increases would be based on inflation. More than 30 House Democrats have also signed on to the bill.