Overview
- Spanberger signed the wage bill Thursday, locking in $12.77 now, moving to $13.75 on Jan. 1, 2027, and $15 on Jan. 1, 2028, with CPI-based increases from 2029.
- The law extends the state minimum to farm workers, ending a long-standing exemption in Virginia agriculture.
- Companion laws expand workforce pipelines, including offshore wind hiring, high-school apprenticeships in culinary arts and IT, and a program to train students as certified nurse aides, with several measures passing on bipartisan votes.
- Republican leaders and some small-business owners say a uniform $15 floor will raise costs in lower-wage regions, echoing former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s criticism that the target is arbitrary.
- An Employment Policies Institute analysis projects up to 12,000 job losses, and state budget staff expect higher agency payroll costs starting in 2027, rising to about $14 million from the general fund in fiscal 2028.