ALEXANDRIA – House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian Moran made the following statement about tomorrow’s increase in the minimum wage to $6.55 per hour. Delegate Moran championed an increase in Virginia’s minimum wage in 2007 (HB 2849, 2007). Although the initiative was unsuccessful in Virginia, the federal government adopted a similar proposal, which Delegate Moran supported.

“Working full time and raising a family should never be a ticket to poverty,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Brian Moran said. “Hard work should be rewarded with fair pay. Increasing the minimum wage will help drive Virginia’s economy by putting money into the pockets of Americans who will spend it. Today is another step forward to ensuring a level economic playing field for all Virginians. In the face of the high price of gas and groceries, raising the minimum wage is a smart investment in the middle-class families that need it the most.”

This increase is the second of three provided by the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. A third minimum wage increase to $7.25 an hour will become effective on July 24, 2009. Last year, on July 24, the minimum wage increased to $5.85 an hour.

Facts on the minimum wage:

• A single parent earning minimum wage earns $12,100/year, $2,800 below the poverty line. Nearly 35 percent of minimum-wage workers are sole family earners and one in three Virginians earning the minimum wage are raising children.
• Between 1998 and 2004, the job growth for small businesses in states with a minimum wage higher than the federal level was 6.2 percent compared to a 4.1 percent growth in states where the federal level prevailed.

Selected resources on Delegate Moran’s work regarding the minimum wage:
Democrats to Propose Minimum Wage Boost (Washington Post, December 2006)
Minimum Wage Hike Gets Pushed (Freelance Star, December 2006)
Democrats push minimum wage issue (Roanoke Times, December 2006)
Delegate Moran testifies to Commerce and Labor Subcommittee (January 2007)