RICHMOND, Va. — A bill to increase the Virginia minimum wage in 2025 and 2026 passed the state House of Delegates with 51 to 49 votes on Friday.
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.
The bill would increase the minimum wage from the current rate of $12 per hour to $13.50 effective January 1, 2025; then it would increase again to $15 per hour on January 1, 2026.
Ward cites 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, to show the need for this bill to pass.
The bill still has to pass in the Virginia Senate and get approved by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to go into law.
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.
