VA Dems unveil policy priorities, including raising minimum wage, protecting abortion rights

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Just a few weeks after expanding their majority in the House of Delegates, Virginia Democrats in the General Assembly are unveiling their first priorities for the 2026 General Assembly Session. 

Those priorities include raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2028, and policies they say will make housing and child care more affordable. 

“Overwhelmingly, we see that Virginians need more money in their pocket to meet their lived, life necessities,” Senator Lashrecse Aird (D-Henrico), who serves as the Democratic Caucus Policy Chair, told 8News. 

Aird said Democrats will also prioritize advancing several proposed constitutional amendments, including one to protect abortion rights. 

“It is critical that we not only talk about reproductive rights, but that we make sure it can never be called into question for Virginians, and that we have the peace of mind in knowing that we can put this issue to rest once and for all,” Aird said.

However, not everyone is on board. On raising the minimum wage, Republican Senator Glen Sturtevant said it could put small businesses at risk of closing. 

“It really puts a lot of economic pressure on small businesses in other parts of the state that don't have the kind of money that Northern Virginia does,” Sturtevant told 8News. 

Sturtevant added that the proposed constitutional amendment on abortion would supersede a current state law that requires minors to get permission from a parent before getting an abortion.

“I think 99% of people agree that if a minor is going to get an abortion, there needs to be parental involvement and consent,” Sturtevant said.

Per the Virginia Constitution, Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger will play no role in the constitutional amendment process. 

Meanwhile, Spanberger has previously said she would sign a bill raising Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 per hour.