February 11, 2020
Virginia House lawmakers advanced a bill that would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9 per hour in 2020. By 2022, the wage would be raised $13.
The House of Delegates passed legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the state of Virginia.
If House Bill 395 becomes law, it would increase the minimum wage from the federal mandate of $7.25 per hour to $9 per hour.
House lawmakers passed the bill 55-45. If the measure passes through the Senate and makes it onto the governor’s desk and signed, it would be enacted on July 1, 2020.
It doesn’t stop at $9 though. The wage would increase year by year, starting at $11 per hour in 2021, then $13 per hour in 2022 and finally $15 per hour in 2023.
The rates would change if a higher minimum wage was required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
Many people are split on the issue of raising the minimum wage. While it would hold corporations responsible for giving their workers a decent living wage, small businesses point out that higher wages could take jobs or benefits away from their employees.
Source: Bill to increase minimum wage passes through Virginia House