RICHMOND, Va. — Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly passed identical bills Friday that would raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, sending the legislation to Gov. Glenn Youngkin's desk for approval.
The bills were approved with 21 votes in the Virginia Senate and 51 votes in the House of Delegates.
The bill would increase the minimum wage from the current rate of $12 per hour to $13.50 effective Jan. 1, 2025; then it would increase again to $15 per hour on Jan. 1, 2026.
Del. Jeion Ward (D) from House District 87, which covers a large area of Hampton, pre-filed the bill in November of last year. Ward is the main patron behind the bill, but several others have signed on their support.
To show the need for this bill to pass, Ward cited a study by the Center For Economic and Policy Research which claims that if the wage kept up with productivity, today's minimum wage would be at $21.50.
A recent poll from the Wason Center at Christopher Newport University found about 68% of Virginians indicated support for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, while 30% of those polled opposed it.