The legislation, along with its companion bill, Senate Bill 1, would raise Virginia’s minimum wage from the current rate of $12 per hour to $13.50 in 2025 and to $15 in 2026.
Now, both bills must pass in opposite chambers before they are sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk for his consideration.
Senate Bill 373 and House Bill 737 would adopt the model used for unemployment insurance to cover the cost of up to 12 weeks of paid leave in a year. This time could be used to adjust to caring for a new child, to care for a sick family member, or to deal with a personal health condition.
One measure would make it illegal to have any hand in the sale, manufacture, transfer, or purchase of assault firearms.
House Bill 570 would establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which would be responsible for analyzing the affordability of certain high-priced prescription drugs and then instituting price limits to protect consumers from the highest cost of drugs.
As the bill itself states, this legislation would “provide a more generous paid sick leave policy” to many of Virginia’s most vulnerable workers, and that’s why state Democrats are advocating for it.
Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk’s price cuts are expected to benefit many Virginians who need insulin to survive. The companies first announced the moves last year, as a response to an American Rescue Plan provision that threatened to penalize them if they kept prices high.
According to Brian Koziol, executive director of the Virginia Housing Alliance, the long-term lack of new housing construction, inflation, and supply chain issues are the main reasons why Virginia is being hit particularly hard by the housing crisis.
More than 48,000 Virginians have had their student debt discharged or have been identified for debt relief due to the Biden administration's reforms of the student loan debt system.
The proposed rule would require utility companies to locate and dig up roughly 188,000 lead pipes statewide within 10 years to ensure clean drinking water for Virginians and to protect children’s health.
