Should the minimum wage be increased?

Virginia follows the federal minimum wage, which is currently set at $7.25 per hour. At this rate, a Virginian working full-time will make only $15,080 each year before taxes. Virginia is one of only a handful of other states that have opted not to increase its minimum wage beyond the federally mandated minimum. 67% of Americans believe the minimum wage should be increased to $15/hour, but the issue continues to remain deeply partisan in the Commonwealth. 


View from the Right:


Republicans believe that it’d be great for everyone to make more money, but don’t believe that the economy will be able to sustain a minimum wage increase. They believe that forcing businesses to raise their minimum wage, especially to a proposed $15, would be unsustainable and put many small businesses out of business. Particularly in Virginia, where we have rural counties with a much lower cost of living, $7.25 can, in many cases, create a living wage. Additionally, they are concerned that businesses that were once attracted to the low cost of doing business in Virginia may rethink their choices if employee costs go up. 


View from the Left:


Democrats believe that Virginia’s minimum wage was set more than a decade ago and no longer reflects the needs of society. Since the minimum wage was set, prices have skyrocketed, new and expensive technologies are becoming a part of everyday life, and we are leaving minimum-wage workers behind. They believe that an individual, especially those providing for a family, simply cannot survive on $15,080 a year. Additionally, they point out that it’s very likely that many minimum-wage workers are receiving social benefits from the state to make up for unlivable wages, which means the state is essentially subsidizing companies who refuse to pay their employees a living wage. Accordingly, companies like Walmart and Target have preemptively raised their employees’ wages and as a result, more money has been spent in those stores. 


View from the General Assembly:

During the 2019 Session, the General Assembly dodged any efforts to increase the minimum wage because of the partisan divide on the issue. There was, however, a smattering of different minimum wage bills presented with different solutions.


With the new Democratic majority, the minimum wage will certainly be at the forefront of the 2020 General Assembly session. A majority of Americans - and Virginians - support these efforts to create a more sustainable workforce that can afford to feed their families and participate in the economy in a valuable way. Some form of an increase will likely make its way through the legislature, but the question remains which iteration the reform will take. 



At VaOurWay, we believe that “[e]very Virginian should be afforded the same access to the opportunity to reach their full potential so that they can become contributing members of the community.” In practice, that means that when a Virginian works full-time for a whole year, they should be able to support their family with their wages and live with dignity. Furthermore, we recognize that workers paid a respective wage are less likely to need government assistance and more likely to provide resources for the existing economy. A livable wage guarantees more self-sufficient workers and a healthier Virginia. 

[Virginia Public Media] Data: Virginia’s Early Childhood Education Providers Are Succeeding

By VOW Ops • January 21, 2026
The second year of results from Virginia’s recently established Quality Establishment and Improvement System (VQB5) for early childhood education found that 99% of childcare providers receiving state funding meet or exceed quality expectations. As of early December 2025, over 154,000 views have been recorded on the system’s website since its October 2024 debut, revealing the many parents and families who appreciate the information that VQB5 offers them. None of these wonderful results would even be available to admire without the support and success we had in passing HB 1012 and SB 578 back in 2020! The data focuses on classroom interactions between children and caregivers and notes how said interactions encourage kids to express themselves at a young age. The state has also enacted categories of excellence for providers who score in the top 10%, exceed quality expectations, or even show significant improvement from an evaluation the year before. On top of that, a new data system called VAConnects helps integrate information on students over the years to track their learning progress. The Department of Education wishes to sustain the program and has requested $735,000 to do so. Overall, Virginia is serving as a model for other states to use in establishing best practices for their early childhood programs. Read more here .

[Richmond Times Dispatch] Virginians want General Assembly Action on Housing, Survey Finds

By VOW Ops • January 21, 2026
An August survey reveals that large majorities of Virginians want state lawmakers to address the rising cost of housing. The survey was conducted by Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia and Freedom Virginia. More than 8 in 10 Virginians said the General Assembly needs to act. More than 3 in 4 Virginians want lawmakers to prevent landlords from raising rents each year by more than 7%. Many Virginians also supported the idea of the state incentivizing localities to build more housing and providing developers with an ability to appeal rejected housing projects. Many proposals that were made to address all these public concerns were struck down during the 2025 legislative session. One of the main reasons why all the mentioned proposals failed to pass the General Assembly is because of the large influence the local government lobbies have in Richmond in protecting what little authority they are granted by the state. However, 6 in 10 Virginians indicated that they are more concerned with providing more housing than protecting local government authority. Read more here.

[Richmond Times Dispatch] Spanberger Details Affordability Measures in Health Care, Energy, Housing

By VOW Ops • December 19, 2025
Governor-elect Spanberger has released details on how her administration will work with the General Assembly to address affordability issues for Virginians regarding health care, energy, and housing. Democrats in the General Assembly argue the proposals are needed to mitigate the effects of President Trump’s tariff policies and reduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Some of the solutions being proposed are legislation from the previous session that were vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. In health care, Spanberger and Virginia Democrats will tackle pharmacy benefit managers’ ability to compel patients toward using affiliated-only pharmacies. The incoming administration also wants to limit the number of times insurance companies can request approvals from patients receiving certain cancer cares and medicines for chronic conditions. Democrats are also reviving legislation that would prohibit insurance companies from charging tobacco smokers higher premiums. Further, Spanberger supports implementing a pilot program to help Virginians who will face unaffordable insurance premiums resulting from the expiration of the ACA enhanced tax credits. In energy, Spanberger called to make it easier for Virginians to utilize small-scale solar panels which don’t require hard labor to install. She also wants the previously vetoed legislation that would set energy storage standards for utility companies brought back to her desk (Governor Youngkin vetoed it because of his belief that the Virginia Clean Economy Act associated with it was ineffective). In housing, Spanberger and Democrats are reviving legislation from 2025 that would extend the grace period tenants have before being evicted for missing rent payments. They are also proposing changes that would give local governments priority in acquiring affordable multi-family units supported by tax credits when the owner wants to sell or convert them. Further, Democrats are reintroducing a bill which would allow all localities to change their zoning ordinances to create dense and affordable housing (currently, only the counties of Albemarle and Loudoun and the cities of Alexandria, Charlottesville, and Fairfax are granted such provisions). Read more here.
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