FILE - This Oct. 24, 2016 file photo shows dollar bills in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger supports the effort, making it likely she will enact the legislation once it reaches her desk.
The Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday passed legislation to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028.
A similar bill is working its way through the Virginia Senate, where it’s also expected to pass. Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger supports the effort, making it likely she will enact the legislation once it reaches her desk.
State Del. Jeion Ward (D-Hampton) is carrying the bill in the House. Her bill would set the minimum hourly wage at $13.75 in 2027 and raise it to $15 an hour in 2028.
The state’s current minimum wage rose to $12.77 in January in keeping with state law that ties it to the annual rate of inflation.
“Virginians are working full-time, even double shifts, and still struggling to keep the lights on,” Ward said in a statement. “Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028 isn’t just an economic necessity – it’s a moral obligation. No one who works full-time in Virginia should struggle to afford their basic needs.”
The prospect of a higher minimum wage in Virginia comes at a time of deep economic anxiety in America. The New York Times reported last month on a survey finding that many Americans see a middle class lifestyle as out of reach.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimates that a living wage for an adult with no children in Virginia is $25.65.
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