RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A Republican-led House committee has killed a proposal to raise Virginia’s minimum wage. The House Committee on Commerce and Labor voted Tuesday to table a proposal aimed at raising incrementally the state’s minimum wage above the current $7.25 an hour to $10 an hour by 2010. Proponents included liberal activists and labor officials. They said raising the state’s current minimum wage would help low-income workers escape poverty. But business groups said raising the minimum wage would result in higher unemployment and hurt Virginia’s business climate. The committee also tabled several other Democratic proposals, including a measure to ban pay discrimination based on sex and to enact new regulations for companies that provide short-term, high-interest rate loans.
