As the General Assembly session reaches its mid-point, Democrats are moving forward with legislation to raise the minimum wage from to $15 an hour. The governor is expected to veto it.
Democrats say they're not worried about the governor's threat to veto a raise in the minimum wage. They campaigned on the issue, and now they’ve made this their top priority – House bill one and Senate bill one. Republican Senator John McGuire of Goochland voted against the bill.
"We live in a capitalist society. We're not socialists," McGuire says. "If you increase the minimum wage without merit, they're just going to pass that cost onto the consumer, and it's going to be higher to afford those places in northern Virginia."
Senator Mamie Locke is a Democrat of Hampton says workers in Virginia deserve a minimum wage of $15 an hour.
"I would challenge everyone on this floor to take the minimum wage challenge for a week. See if you can live off $12 an hour for a week," Locke says.
None of the Republicans in the Senate chamber took her up on the challenge, and Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has indicated he's likely to veto the bill. But Democrats say they'll continue talking about it on the campaign trail.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
