Governor Youngkin has vetoed two bills to raise Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026. The legislation, HB 1 and SB 1, which passed the House and Senate along party lines, was set to increase Virginia’s $12 hourly minimum wage to $13.50 by 2025 and $15 by 2026.
“The free market for salaries and wages works,” Youngkin wrote in his veto statement on the minimum wage bill. “It operates dynamically, responding to the nuances of varying economic conditions and regional differences.” He added that the measure “imperils market freedom and economic competitiveness.”
Read Governor Youngkin’s full veto statement here.
