PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Gov. Ralph Northam was in Portsmouth Wednesday morning to sign the new minimum wage bill.
The signing took place at Tidewater Community College.
The new bill allows Virginia's minimum wage to increase every year until it reaches $15 an hour by 2026.
The law won't go into effect until May 1, 2021. Next year, minimum wage will increase to $9.50.
At the signing, Governor Northam acknowledged the fact that a wage increase was long overdue.
"It is impossible for anybody to support themselves, let alone their families on $7.25 an hour. Think about that and that hasn't been changed for a long time until now," Northam said.