Appropriations committee reports three bills including phased minimum-wage increase; votes recorded
January 28, 2026 | 2026 Legislature VA, Virginia
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The House Appropriations Committee met to consider three measures and then voted to report all three to the next stage of the legislative process.
Committee staff introduced House Bill 1 (from Delegate Ward) as a phased increase in the Commonwealth’s minimum wage, with an initial step effective Jan. 1, 2027 and a later increase to $15 an hour in 2028. Staff told the committee the preliminary biennial fiscal impact includes roughly $546,000 in FY27 and $13.8 million in FY28, largely driven by higher Medicaid costs for consumer- and agency-directed personal care attendants. “The costs are primarily driven by changes to Medicaid reflecting increases for both consumer and agency directed personal care attendants,” the committee aide said during the presentation.
A motion to report HB 1 was moved and seconded; the committee recorded a vote of 15 to 7 in favor of reporting the bill.
The committee next took up House Bill 183 (Del. Reid), which the staff said modifies the first-time homebuyer savings account established in 2014. The substitute and an amendment would allow account holders to designate bank accounts as tax-exempt savings vehicles for homeownership and increase the amount that can be placed in such accounts. Staff stated there was no direct budgetary impact. The committee moved to report HB 183 as amended; the recorded vote was 17 to 5.
Finally, the committee heard House Bill 363 (Del. Doherty), which lowers the match requirement to 1:1 for grants under the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund and the Regional Innovation Fund administered by the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority for grants under $100,000. Staff noted existing appropriations for those funds in the introduced budget and said there was no direct fiscal impact from the change. The motion to report HB 363 carried unanimously, 22 to 0.
The committee did not take final floor action on any of the bills; each was reported out of appropriations for further consideration in the legislative process.
Committee staff introduced House Bill 1 (from Delegate Ward) as a phased increase in the Commonwealth’s minimum wage, with an initial step effective Jan. 1, 2027 and a later increase to $15 an hour in 2028. Staff told the committee the preliminary biennial fiscal impact includes roughly $546,000 in FY27 and $13.8 million in FY28, largely driven by higher Medicaid costs for consumer- and agency-directed personal care attendants. “The costs are primarily driven by changes to Medicaid reflecting increases for both consumer and agency directed personal care attendants,” the committee aide said during the presentation.
A motion to report HB 1 was moved and seconded; the committee recorded a vote of 15 to 7 in favor of reporting the bill.
The committee next took up House Bill 183 (Del. Reid), which the staff said modifies the first-time homebuyer savings account established in 2014. The substitute and an amendment would allow account holders to designate bank accounts as tax-exempt savings vehicles for homeownership and increase the amount that can be placed in such accounts. Staff stated there was no direct budgetary impact. The committee moved to report HB 183 as amended; the recorded vote was 17 to 5.
Finally, the committee heard House Bill 363 (Del. Doherty), which lowers the match requirement to 1:1 for grants under the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund and the Regional Innovation Fund administered by the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority for grants under $100,000. Staff noted existing appropriations for those funds in the introduced budget and said there was no direct fiscal impact from the change. The motion to report HB 363 carried unanimously, 22 to 0.
The committee did not take final floor action on any of the bills; each was reported out of appropriations for further consideration in the legislative process.
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