The Virginia Labor and Commerce Committee advanced HB1, a bill to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour by January 1, 2028, over the objections of members who warned of business flight from rural border areas and price inflation. The bill passed 15 to 7 and was referred to the Appropriations Committee.
Delegate Kilgore argued that businesses in rural areas on the border of Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia would move because it is cheaper to do business in those states, citing a specific restaurant owner in his area who 'looks like he's going to move over to Tennessee.' The Vice Chair countered implicitly by noting that predictions of businesses leaving Virginia following prior wage increases 'never came to pass,' and cited the governor's own statements about jobs being up, wages being up, and businesses coming to Virginia over the prior four years.
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“We need a strong minimum wage in Virginia that uplifts families, many of whom are struggling, they're struggling to make ends meet. This bill will have a positive impact on Virginians from every corner of this Commonwealth. 63% of workers who would benefit from raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour are women and 54% of”
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Sign in to subscribeWe're going to start the meeting in about three minutes. We're waiting for a couple more members. We will now call to order the Committee on Labor and Commerce. We have a quorum now. Ask if we will now open the rolls for attendance. The clerk should close the roll. Okay, today we have just a few things. I want to speak about this today. Standing order of business for the labor and Commerce Committee. The committee meetings will be held again on Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoon after the House session. Adjournment subcommittees will meet after full committee adjournment and in the same meeting room, House room A. Here on a lower level room. Attendees must be seated unless they are called to testify at the podium. The chair will call on patrons based on the bill in front of the committee. Meetings will be live streamed. Written comments on each bill can be made anytime. Once the bill is listed for committee on the committee agenda, testimony will be limited on the bill. Chair will call on the first person and person present in the committee room and then call on the remote speakers. Both speakers and those wanting…
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