Minimum wage bill advances
It would increase Va.'s from $5.15 to $6.50 per hour on July 1
Richmond Times-Dispatch Jan 30, 2007
A Senate committee unanimously approved a bill yesterday that would increase the state's minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.50 per hour on July 1.
The bill contains a stipulation that if Congress increases the federal minimum wage to more than $6.50 per hour, then the state's minimum wage will mirror the federal wage.
The federal wage is now $5.15 per hour, the same as Virginia's, but several states have already increased their minimum wages beyond the federal level.
The wage increase, sponsored by Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William, now goes to the full Senate for its consideration. The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee combined two other minimum wage measures by Sens. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, and Mary Margaret Whipple, D-Arlington, into Colgan's measure.
