House passes minimum-wage bill after floor debate over entry-level jobs

The Virginia House of Delegates on Jan. 30, 2025, approved House Bill 19 28 in a 50-46 vote after floor debate in which opponents argued the measure would reduce entry-level employment opportunities and raise costs for consumers.

A delegate speaking against the measure said the bill “in effect is make it illegal to offer someone a job for $12.40 an hour,” adding that raising the statutory floor arbitrarily can remove entry-level opportunities and increase prices for goods and services. The delegate urged colleagues to vote against the bill, saying government-set wage floors can shrink opportunities for inexperienced workers.

The debate focused on competing policy aims: raising baseline pay versus preserving entry-level hiring opportunities. The opponent said another approach — reducing taxation on tips — had been proposed earlier in the session but was not adopted. That alternative, the speaker said, would have affected take-home pay without imposing a higher statutory hiring floor.

Supporters of the bill spoke in favor of higher wages but their remarks on the floor were not captured in an extended printed exchange in the transcript excerpt. The Clerk called the roll after debate; the result was 50 votes in favor and 46 opposed and the bill passed.

The floor exchange did not specify the bill’s effective date or detailed implementation language; the transcript records only the question “Shall the bill pass?” followed by the roll call and tally. Details of the bill text were not read into the record during the excerpted debate in the transcript.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 19 28 — Roll call: Ayes 50, Noes 46. Outcome: passed.

The bill will proceed through subsequent procedural steps and any enrolled bill language or effective-date provisions will be set out in the enrolled version and subsequent public releases from the General Assembly.