Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 8, 2026

SB 1: Minimum wage; increases incrementally to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2028.

Minimum wage. Increases the minimum wage incrementally to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2028. The bill codifies the adjusted state hourly minimum wage of $12.77 per hour that is effective January 1, 2026, and increases the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour effective January 1, 2027, and to $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2028. Effective January 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, the bill requires the minimum wage to be adjusted to reflect increases in the consumer price index. This bill is identical to HB 1.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentIncreases minimum wage to $15/hr by 2028 with CPI adjustments, directly advancing worker compensation standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 8, 2026

SB 25: Offshore wind industry; workforce development.

Department of Energy; workforce development in offshore wind industry. Directs the Director of the Department of Energy to identify and develop training resources to advance workforce development in the offshore wind industry in the Commonwealth. This bill is identical to HB 67.

Topics ✓ EnergySupports EnergyDirectly establishes workforce development for offshore wind (renewable energy), aligning with clean energy investment indicators and workforce advancement in renewable infrastructure.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEstablishes workforce development program funding training resources for offshore wind industry, advancing employment opportunities in a growing sector.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 328: Housing for local employees; grants for homeownership.

Housing for local employees; grants for homeownership and workforce housing alternatives. Eliminates the maximum amount a locality may provide (i) to employees of the locality, employees of the school board, and employees of constitutional officers for homeownership grants to purchase primary residences in the locality and (ii) to school division personnel for residential housing assistance grants to provide affordable workforce housing alternatives. The bill also eliminates the requirement that such grants adhere to the Virginia Housing and Development Authority regional sales price and household income limitation guidelines. Current law imposes a maximum grant amount of $25,000 for individual grants per employee, as well as a maximum lifetime cumulative amount of $25,000 per employee. This bill is identical to HB 164.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEliminates spending caps on local housing grants, increasing budget allocation for workforce housing programs without tax changes.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill provides housing grants for school division personnel (teachers), directly supporting educators' housing affordability per topic's 'teachers' inclusion.80% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingEliminates funding caps for local employee homeownership grants and workforce housing alternatives, directly advancing affordable housing access for workers.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEliminates caps on housing grants for local employees/school personnel, directly advancing workforce housing affordability as a labor support measure.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 209: Peer recovery specialists; VDH & DOC to develop guidelines for hiring.

Department of Health; Department of Corrections; peer recovery specialists. Directs the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Corrections to develop agency guidelines for hiring peer recovery specialists with previous criminal convictions for compensated employment. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to SB 608.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeDirects VDH/DOC to develop hiring guidelines for peer recovery specialists with criminal convictions, promoting rehabilitation and reintegration in corrections, aligning with criminal justice reform indicators.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareDirects VDH/DOC to develop hiring guidelines for peer recovery specialists, expanding access to mental health support services through workforce inclusion.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentDirects guidelines for hiring individuals with criminal convictions as peer recovery specialists, expanding employment opportunities for a marginalized group within state agencies.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 849: Public school employees; suspension, notice and opportunity for a hearing.

Public school employees; suspension; notice and opportunity for a hearing. Provides that no school board employee shall be suspended without notice and, if applicable, an opportunity to be heard and amends current law to require any individual who has been so suspended, regardless of the length of the suspension, to continue to receive his then applicable salary unless and until the school board, after a hearing, determines otherwise. Under current law, such requirement only applies to any individual who has been suspended for a period in excess of five days.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates due process for school employee suspensions, ensuring continued salary and hearing rights, directly protecting educator job security and fair treatment in K-12 education.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires school boards to provide notice, hearing, and continued pay during suspension, protecting due process rights for public school employees.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 1333: Paid firefighters; hours of work.

Hours of work for paid firefighters. Provides that the Department of Fire Programs shall encourage employers to implement work schedules that do not require any paid firefighter's normally scheduled shifts to exceed 42 hours per workweek.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill caps firefighter workweeks at 42 hours to prevent excessive hours, directly advancing workplace safety protections under Labor & Employment policies.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 100: Volunteer emergency responders; protection of employees, civil action.

Protection of employees; volunteer emergency responders; civil action. Prohibits an employer from discharging, disciplining, threatening, discriminating against, or penalizing an employee or taking other retaliatory action regarding an employee's compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment solely because the employee fails to report for work because such employee is serving as a voluntary emergency responder, as defined in the bill, and is actively responding to an emergency alarm or during a state of emergency, provided that certain requirements are met. The bill provides that no employer shall be required to pay an employee for work time missed while serving as a voluntary emergency responder but permits such employee to use vacation or sick leave instead of unpaid time off if such employee has accrued such leave. The bill permits a person who alleges a violation of its provisions to bring a civil action seeking injunctive relief, reinstatement, and compensation for lost wages, benefits, and other remuneration.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProhibits employer retaliation against employees missing work for volunteer emergency response, directly protecting workers' rights under employment terms.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 116: School board employee grievance procedure; timing of dispute resolution.

School board employee grievance procedure; timing of dispute resolution. Requires the grievance procedure for certain school board employees to afford a timely and fair method of the resolution of disputes arising between the school board and such employees before dismissal or other disciplinary actions, excluding suspensions. Current law requires such procedure to afford a timely and fair method of the resolution of disputes arising between the school board and such employees regarding dismissal or other disciplinary actions, excluding suspensions, but is silent on the timing of such dispute resolution. This bill is identical to SB 824.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates timely grievance resolution for school employees, supporting fair treatment and protecting educator rights before disciplinary actions, aligning with 'supports teachers and educators' indicator.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates timely grievance procedures to prevent unfair dismissal, protecting workers' rights in employment disputes.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · Senate Apr 6, 2026

SB 608: Peer recovery specialists; VDH & DOC to develop guidelines for hiring.

Department of Health; Department of Corrections; peer recovery specialists. Directs the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Corrections to develop agency guidelines for hiring peer recovery specialists with previous criminal convictions for compensated employment. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to HB 209.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeDirects VDH & DOC to develop hiring guidelines for peer recovery specialists with criminal convictions, promoting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism through employment opportunities in recovery programs.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEnables hiring of peer recovery specialists with criminal convictions, expanding employment opportunities for a historically marginalized group in state agencies.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 494: Virginia Personnel Act; hiring preference in state government, certain former federal employees.

Virginia Personnel Act; hiring preference in state government; certain former federal employees. Allows for an applicant's status as a former federal employee to be given consideration when applying for employment with the Commonwealth if such applicant was terminated from a position of employment with the federal government on or after January 1, 2025, due to a reduction in the federal budget or initiatives put in place by the federal Department of Government Efficiency, provided that such person meets all of the knowledge, skill, and ability requirements for the available position. The bill directs the Department of Human Resource Management, on or before January 1 of each year, to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly that includes the number of job applications submitted by candidates who self-identified as former federal employees, as well as the number of jobs offered to such candidates. The bill has an expiration date of January 21, 2029.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProvides hiring preference for federal employees laid off due to budget cuts (not performance), advancing employment opportunities for affected workers.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment