Expert weighs in on potential impacts of vetoed minimum wage bill

Emaryi Williams
·2 min read
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ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — Opinions are still pouring in after Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed some bills Thursday, March, 31, including a Democrat-backed bill that would have raised the minimum wage in the commonwealth to $13.50 in 2025 and then to $15 in 2026.

“I think bumping up the pay like that is going to drive people to want to work more,” commented one Virginia Tech student

“But, I think the minimum wage here is still pretty good,” said another student.

“I think raising the minimum wage is a step in the right direction,” a VT student told WFXR.

In his veto statement, Governor Youngkin said the bill would “implement drastic wage mandates, raise costs on families and small businesses [and] jeopardize jobs…” One economic professor at Radford University is inclined to agree.

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“We have several studies that show that the unemployment rate starts to happen in the lower income groups sooner,” explained Dr. Thomas Duncan, an associate economics professor with Radford University.

Duncan says it would lower job opportunities for younger people just starting in their careers, as they would struggle to find jobs at a higher rate with no experience. He says rural areas could see unemployment effects more quickly.

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“Northern Virginia and Richmond are different areas than say Southwest Virginia, where the incomes are lower and the median wage is lower,” Duncan said. “Most of Virginia — we’re all making over the minimum wage, so when you raise it it’s just not that big a deal for our incomes in that way, but it is a big deal again for the smaller places.”

Duncan however didn’t agree with the governor’s comments saying the bill would cause a mass exodus of workers leaving Virginia. He believes with rising inflation, wages will have to start matching eventually anyway. But a slower more gradual increase would be key.

Governor Youngkin reportedly took action on a total of a hundred and seven bills Thursday. The General Assembly will meet on April 17 in Richmond to consider Youngkin’s proposed amendments to legislation.

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