By VABayNews Staff

Virginia Democrats are facing growing backlash after a newly surfaced budget amendment revealed a proposal to increase legislator salaries—at the same time lawmakers continue advancing tax and cost-increasing policies that many families say are already stretching household budgets to the breaking point.

The proposal, introduced as a member request amendment to Senate Bill 30, would raise the annual salary of Virginia legislators to $45,000, up from current levels, at a cost of roughly $2.1 million in general fund spending beginning in FY2028. While the increase would technically take effect after the next General Assembly election, critics argue the timing and optics are deeply problematic.

The amendment comes as Virginians grapple with rising energy bills, higher local taxes, increased fees, and persistent inflation—pressures that lawmakers themselves have repeatedly acknowledged during the current legislative session.

A Disconnect on “Affordability”

Democrats campaigned heavily on affordability in recent elections, promising relief for working families and seniors. Yet in Richmond, many of the proposals advancing this session have moved in the opposite direction: higher taxes, expanded fees, new mandates, and increased spending obligations that ultimately flow down to taxpayers.

Against that backdrop, a legislator pay raise—no matter how it is structured—lands poorly.

Supporters argue the raise is about fairness, noting that Virginia’s legislative salaries have not kept pace with inflation and that low pay discourages working-class Virginians from serving. But opponents counter that lawmakers are asking voters to absorb higher costs while insulating themselves from the same pressures.

“Families are being told to tighten their belts,” one GOP aide said, “while lawmakers quietly loosen their own.”

The Budget Reality

The amendment language shows the raise would increase the General Assembly’s budget line from $67.5 million to nearly $69.6 million, with salary adjustments explicitly spelled out. While $2.1 million may be small in the context of a multibillion-dollar state budget, critics argue the issue is not scale—it’s priorities.

Virginia is facing major fiscal questions in the coming years, including infrastructure maintenance, transportation funding gaps, education costs, and public safety staffing shortages. Many center-right analysts argue any new spending—especially for lawmakers themselves—should be subjected to heightened scrutiny.

Ethics, Optics, and Trust

Even if the raise is legally sound and delayed until after elections, it underscores a broader trust problem in state government. Voters across the political spectrum increasingly believe elected officials are disconnected from the realities facing ordinary households.

Pay raises for legislators are not inherently illegitimate. But historically, successful proposals have followed periods of broad tax relief, surplus-driven rebates, or bipartisan consensus. None of those conditions clearly exist today.

Instead, the proposal risks reinforcing the perception that Richmond operates under a different set of rules than the rest of Virginia.

The Political Cost

Republicans are already seizing on the issue as emblematic of what they call “one-way affordability”—where costs go up for residents, but protections apply to government insiders.

Whether the amendment ultimately survives budget negotiations remains unclear. But politically, the damage may already be done. At a time when voters are demanding restraint, transparency, and accountability, even the appearance of self-enrichment carries a price.

If Virginia lawmakers want public trust on affordability, critics say, they should start by living under the same financial constraints as the people they represent.

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