HB 1481 Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Employment discrimination; employee notification of federal and state statute of limitations.

Summary

Employment discrimination; employee notification of federal and state statute of limitations. Requires an employer that employs 10 or more employees and that receives an employee complaint alleging sexual assault, harassment, or any other form of discrimination for which the employee may seek enforcement by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the Office of the Attorney General to notify such employee that a charge may be filed with the EEOC or the Office of the Attorney General within 300 days after the alleged unlawful discriminatory practice occurred. The bill also requires an employer to provide this information as part of any new employee training provided at the commencement of employment or anti-discrimination training provided to an employee.

Issues: ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill status failed 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2026 Last action Mar 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Commerce and Labor Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended from its original version to create a Senate substitute version. The main substantive change is that the employer threshold for the notification requirement was increased from 10 to 15 employees. The bill also added a new provision requiring the Office of Civil Rights to publish a standard written notice template for employers to use by January 1, 2027, and clarified that the new section number is 40.1-28.7:12.

Scope change

The bill's applicability was expanded to include employers with 15 or more employees instead of the original 10 or more employees, meaning fewer small businesses are now required to provide the discrimination notice.

ELIGIBILITY

Increased the minimum number of employees required for an employer to be covered under the notification requirement from 10 to 15 employees.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new provision requiring the Office of Civil Rights to publish a standard written notice template for employers to use by January 1, 2027.

TECHNICAL

Changed the section title from 'notification of federal and state statute of limitations' to 'provide notice of right to file a charge or complaint of discrimination' for clarity.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 11, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 16, 2026

How they voted

39–0

Passed

Total votes 39

Mar 11, 2026

D Democratic20

20 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican19

19 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (7-Y 6-N 2-A)

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate committee offered

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor

upper

Feb 16, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time and passed House (63-Y 35-N 0-A)

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Labor and Commerce (15-Y 7-N)

lower

Feb 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 2-N)

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Committee

Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #2

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Introduced

Presented and ordered printed 26101403D

lower

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors