NORFOLK, Va. — Tuesday marked Crossover Day in the General Assembly, the midpoint of the legislative season.
Democrats, who are in control of both chambers, passed several of their initiatives, including bills to raise the minimum wage to $15 in 2026.
"It's a dangerous proposition to do this much this fast," said Sen. Christopher Head (R-Roanoke County).
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The bill would also increase the wage to $13.50 in 2025.
"I hope all of us agree if you're putting in your 40-hours a week of work, you should be able to afford a studio apartment in a place where you want to live in Virginia," said Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas).
All bills passed in the House will now go through the Senate and vice-versa.
One bill receiving strong bipartisan support would legalize skilled gaming machines again. Both the House and Senate have passed versions of the bill.
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"These skilled games were a lifeline during the pandemic to a lot of these businesses," said Sen. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Ashburn).
"I'm concerned about enticing gambling devices when people are going to a convenience store to buy milk or eggs by the thousands in Virginia," said Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria).
Democrats also passed bills to legalize marijuana sales starting this July.
In the Senate, there was also a heated back and forth on the so called "second look" bill, where people in prison could potentially have their sentences reduced if a judge decides to have a second look at it after they served at least 15-years in prison.
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"Sometimes there are offenses that are so bad and so challenging that the community also needs to be protected," said Sen. Ryan McDougle (R-Mechanicsville).
"This law is close to what's the law in the Democratic bastion of Texas," said Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville). "This is what they do in Texas. If the victim says no, the process ends."
The bill passed along party lines in the Senate, but did not advance out of the House.
Lawmakers will now spend the rest of the session fine tuning bills before passing some of them and giving Gov. Youngkin the chance to weigh-in.
