Driving Up Farm Costs by Forcing Minimum Wage on Agriculture

Description

This bill eliminates the exemption from Virginia's minimum wage for farm laborers, farm employees, and certain temporary foreign workers, subjecting agricultural employers to the state's wage mandates. It will raise costs on farmers, threaten rural jobs, and interfere with the flexibility needed in seasonal and entry-level farm work. CPAC opposes minimum wage expansions that harm small farms and reduce job opportunities and opposed this bill. The Senate passed this bill on 2025-02-18 by a vote of 21-19. The Governor vetoed this bill.