State employee health insurance plan; coverage for prosthetic devices. Provides that the plan established by the Department of Human Resource Management for the provision of health insurance coverage for state employees shall include coverage for medically necessary prosthetic devices and their repair, fitting, replacement, and components.
Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for animal control officers. Adds full-time animal control officers to the list of local employees eligible to receive enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service for service earned in such positions on or after July 1, 2027. Under current law, localities may provide such benefits to first responders, including firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and certain other hazardous duty positions. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
Salaries of certain full-time deputy sheriffs. Provides that, beginning on and after July 1, 2026, the salary of certain full-time deputy sheriffs shall be increased by an amount equal to $100 for each full year of service.
Virginia Retirement System; enhanced retirement benefits for 911 dispatchers. Allows local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for hazardous duty service to full-time salaried 911 dispatchers. The bill provides that such enhanced retirement benefits apply only to service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher on or after July 1, 2027, but allows an employer, as that term is defined in relevant law, to provide such enhanced retirement benefits for service earned as a full-time salaried 911 dispatcher before July 1, 2027, in addition to service earned on or after that date. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
Retirement systems and creditable service. Awards an individual who has reached normal retirement age under the State Police Officers' Retirement System (SPORS) or Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System (VaLORS), as determined by relevant law, one additional year of creditable service for every five full years of creditable service earned (i) as a member of SPORS, (ii) as a member of VaLORS, or (iii) while employed by a locality that has elected to provide SPORS-benefits to its employees. This bill only affects those retirements that take place on or after July 1, 2027.
Virginia Public Procurement Act; additional public works contract requirements. Provides that public bodies shall require the contractor and its subcontractors for any capital outlay project, as defined in the bill, to complete certain safety training programs, maintain records of compliance with applicable laws, and participate in approved apprenticeship training programs. The bill provides exemptions from such requirements for reasons related to lack of availability of apprentices and high costs. The provisions of the bill do not apply to transportation-related construction projects. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
School boards; employment of school resource officers; Virginia Retirement System. Requires each school board to enter into a collaborative agreement with the local law-enforcement agency to employ at least one school resource officer in each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division. The bill requires localities to provide enhanced retirement benefits to school resource officers. The bill also allows a retired law-enforcement officer to work as a school resource officer after a break in service of at least six months without impacting his retirement benefits.
Prevailing wage rate for public works contracts; civil penalties. Provides that the prevailing wage rate required to be paid under certain contracts for public works shall not be less than the applicable prevailing wage rate determined by the U.S. Secretary of Labor under federal law. The bill subjects any contractor or subcontractor who fails to pay the prevailing wage rate for public works contracts as required by existing law to a civil penalty of $500 for each day on which such underpayment occurs and disqualifies such contractor or subcontractor from bidding on public contracts until three years after the final date on which such underpayment occurs. The bill revises the requirements for a contractor or subcontractor to submit certain payroll information to the Department of Labor and Industry and creates certain civil penalties for first and second or subsequent failures to meet such requirements.
Employment; paid sick leave; civil penalties. Expands provisions of the Code that currently require one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked for home health workers to cover all employees of private employers and state and local governments. The bill requires that employees who are employed and compensated on a fee-for-service basis accrue paid sick leave in accordance with regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry. The bill provides that employees transferred to a separate division or location remain entitled to previously accrued paid sick leave and that employees retain their accrued sick leave under any successor employer. The bill allows employers to provide a more generous paid sick leave policy than prescribed by its provisions and specifies that employees, in addition to using paid sick leave for their physical or mental illness or to care for a family member, may use paid sick leave to seek or obtain certain services or to relocate or secure an existing home due to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill provides that certain health care workers who work no more than 30 hours per month may waive the right to accrue and use paid sick leave. The bill also provides that employers are not required to provide paid sick leave to certain health care workers who are employed on a pro re nata, or as-needed, basis, regardless of the number of hours worked. The bill requires the Commissioner to promulgate regulations regarding employee notification and employer recordkeeping requirements. The bill authorizes the Commissioner, in the case of a knowing violation, to subject an employer to a civil penalty not to exceed $150 for the first violation, $300 for the second violation, and $500 for each successive violation. The Commissioner may institute proceedings on behalf of an employee to enforce compliance with the provisions of this bill. Additionally, the bill authorizes an aggrieved employee to bring a civil action against the employer in which he may recover double the amount of any unpaid sick leave and the amount of any actual damages suffered as the result of the employer's violation. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.
Protection of employees; covenants not to compete; involuntarily separated employees. Prohibits the enforcement of a covenant not to compete, as such term is defined in existing law, between an employer and an employee if such employee is involuntarily separated from employment, as defined in the bill. The bill provides that for its purposes, an employee that is separated from employment shall be presumed to be involuntarily separated from employment unless the employer provides documentation establishing that such separation is voluntary or due to the employee's inadequate job performance or misconduct.
