COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS AND FINANCE 
11/17/2025-AMENDED AND REPORTED OUT TO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND JUDICIARY 
 
BILL NO. 
36-0030 
 
Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Virgin Islands 
 
 
 
February 27, 2025 
 
 
 
An act amending title 24 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 1, section 4, increasing the Virgin Islands 
minimum wage 
 
 
 
PROPOSED BY: 
 
Senator Franklin D. Johnson 
Sponsors: Marvin A. Blyden and Dwayne M. DeGraff 
Co-sponsors: Novelle E. Francis, Jr., Marise C. James 
and Ray Fonseca 
WHEREAS, the Government of the United States first established a minimum wage in 
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1938 with the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; and 
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WHEREAS, the minimum wage has proven to be one of the most effective and enduring 
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public policy tools to ensure that working people enjoy an acceptable standard of living and 
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quality of life; and 
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WHEREAS, studies have demonstrated that increases in the minimum wage improve 
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worker productivity and workplace retention, and positively affects consumer demand; and 
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WHEREAS, although the federal minimum wage has been raised an average of every 
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three years between 1938 and 2009, it remains stagnant at $7.25 per hour since 2009; and 
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WHEREAS, the Virgin Islands and thirty-three other states and territories of the United 
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States have found it necessary to enact minimum wage increases through legislation or 
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automatic mechanisms for periodic increase; and 
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2 
 
WHEREAS, studies have found that the highest rates of child poverty exist in states that 
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have not raised their minimum wages above the federal standard; and 
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WHEREAS, an economic impact study undertaken by the Virgin Islands Bureau of 
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Economic Research found that the minimum wage increases enacted by Act No. 7856 improved 
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conditions for both workers and businesses in the Virgin Islands; and 
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WHEREAS, Act No. 7856 mandated the appointment of members to the Wage Board 
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which is tasked with periodically reviewing and revising the minimum wage; and 
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WHEREAS, the failure of successive governors to appoint members to the Wage Board 
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has resulted in the Virgin Islands minimum wage remaining at $10.50 since 2018; and 
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WHEREAS, housing market studies have found that housing rents rose by an average of 
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nearly 100% between 2017 and 2023; and 
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WHEREAS, the combination of rising prices and wage stagnation have created an 
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affordability crisis wherein many Virgin Islands families simply cannot meet their daily needs; 
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and 
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WHEREAS, a low minimum wage contributes to an emigration of labor and a reduction 
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in workforce capacity in the Virgin Islands; Now, Therefore 
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Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 
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SECTION 1.  Title 24 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 1, section 4, is amended as follows: 
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(a) 
In subsection (a): 
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(1) 
By inserting a comma after “students”; 
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(2) 
By striking “$8.35” and inserting “$12.00; 
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(3) 
By striking “$9.50” and inserting “$14.00”; 
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(4) 
By striking “June 1, 2017” and inserting “June 1, 2027”; 
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(5) 
By striking “$10.50” and inserting  “$15.00”; 
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(6) 
By striking “June 1, 2018” and inserting  “June 1, 2028”; 
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(7) 
By striking “June 1, 2019 and inserting; “June 1 2029”; 
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(8) 
By striking “2020” and inserting  “2030”; and 
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(9) 
By inserting at the end of the subsection “, whichever is greater”. 
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(b) 
In subsection (b) by striking “December 31, 2018” and inserting “December 31,” 
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2029”. 
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BILL SUMMARY 
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This bill amends title 24 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 1, section 4 by increasing the 
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Virgin Islands minimum wages. 
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BR25-0269/February 24, 2025/LMW 
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..\..\..\..\AMENDS\36th 
Legislature\JOHNSON, 
FRANKLIN 
D\Amendment 
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622\Amendment No. 36-622 (REVISED I) - DRAFTED ON YELLOW.docx 
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