Governor Youngkin’s Minimum Wage Veto Harms 365,000 Working People and Our Economy

Today, Ashley C. Kenneth, President and CEO of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis (TCI), released the following statement regarding the governor vetoing HB 1928 (Ward). The Virginia General Assembly passed HB 1928 in February, which seeks to keep Virginia on a path to a $15 minimum wage by January 2027:

“Governor Youngkin’s veto of HB 1928 amounts to the governor vetoing raises for 365,000 working people in Virginia, continuing to make Virginia unaffordable for many families and further entrenching barriers to economic opportunity across the commonwealth. 

“Working people in Virginia drive our economy and deserve to be paid a fair wage for a fair day’s work. Yet some businesses continue to exploit their workers through low pay that does not allow them to meet their basic needs. Virginia’s current minimum wage of $12.41 an hour is far below what even a single person needs in order to pay the bills in even the lowest cost county in the state. Governor Youngkin is dismissing an opportunity to protect Virginia’s workers and ensure a more fair wage. It’s past time to remove loopholes and make sure every working Virginian is paid at least $15 an hour.

“In collaborating with community members, TCI has heard firsthand how a lack of progress on Virginia’s minimum wage is hurting real people. Jonei Battle, a Richmond teacher’s aide and restaurant worker, recently shared the difficulty of getting by on the current low minimum wage, stating:

‘I’m still fighting to choose between school or putting food in my fridge. It’s exhausting. It’s honestly not fair at all…. A few things that would change if the minimum wage was raised — I would be able to go back to school. I wouldn’t have to take out loans and have to go paycheck to paycheck just to even put groceries in my fridge.’

“The Commonwealth Institute will continue to advocate for Jonei and the 365,000 working people across the commonwealth who are paid low wages so that we can continue to raise the wage and help make sure everyone has the resources to thrive.”

The full video with Jonei is available here. 

Demographic information on who would benefit from raising the minimum wage is available here.