RICHMOND, Va. — A bill that would increase the minimum wage from the current federally mandated minimum has been moved to the full Virginia Senate.
The Committee on Commerce and Labor voted to pass the bill that would increase the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour over the course of a couple of years.
If it clears the full General Assembly and Gov. Ralph Northam signs it into law, the bill would take effect on July 1, 2019 and raise Virginia's minimum wage to $10 an hour.
The rate would jump to $13 per hour starting July 1, 2020. Then, it would go up to $15 per hour on July 1, 2021.The figures would change if the federal Fair Labor Standards Act required a higher minimum wage than what the bill outlines at any point.
Click below to view the full bill:
Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance (D-Petersburg) introduced the bill. Senators Frank Wagner, Richard Saslaw, Thomas Norment, Dance, Louise Lucas, and Lionell Spruill from Hampton Roads voted to move the bill forward.