Virginia

On May 14, 2026, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger vetoed Senate Bill (SB) No. 378 / House Bill (HB) No. 1263, legislation that would have extended collective bargaining rights to the Commonwealth’s approximately 500,000 public employees.

During the January to May 2026 General Session, the Virginia General Assembly passed several important employment laws.

TakeawaysVirginia legislation taking effect July 1 imposes new requirements on “high-volume” arbitration service providers, including procedures for arbitrator selection, strict deadlines for payment of arbitration fees and grounds for challenging an arbitration award (among other penalties) if those requirements are not met.The requirements apply to arbitration agreements with Virginia-based employees. Employers in Virginia should review their arbitration agreements and provider rules to ensur…

Virginia employers should keep in mind that significant employment law changes take effect July 1, 2026, including new pay transparency requirements for job postings and a ban on salary history inquiries. Read more about what employers need to know here.

TakeawaysVirginia is requiring greater pay transparency and putting tighter restrictions on non-compete agreements, including bans for certain workers.New statewide paid sick leave, paid family and medical leave and other protections significantly broaden employee benefits and workplace rights over time.New laws increase employer obligations around wages, anti-discrimination and liability.Related linkVirginia Legislative Information - 2026 Regular SessionArticleVirginia’s 2026 legislative sessi…

In recent days, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed into law a broad array of employment-related reforms , including paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave entitlements, prohibitions against noncompetition agreements in the healthcare industry, a salary history ban, pay transp

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has now signed into law legislation concerning paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave, each of which will have significant impacts on Virginia employers.

Last week, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed legislation dramatically expanding Virginia’s paid sick leave law to cover nearly all Virginia employees. If you have employees in Virginia, you can learn more about the new law here. Continue Reading

Joining approximately twenty-five other state or local jurisdictions, two states—Maine and Virginia—have enacted new pay transparency requirements slated to take effect in July 2026. Virginia’s House Bill (HB) 636 / Senate Bill (SB) 215 takes effect on July 1, 2026, and Maine’s Legislative Document

Virginia’s Democratic Trifecta Enacts a Flurry of New Wage and Hour Laws During the General Assembly’s 2026 Session In the 2025 statewide elections, Virginia Democrats gained control of both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship, securing a governmental “trifecta.” The last time Dem

Virginia Enacts Paid Family and Medical Leave Program to Apply to Most Private Employers Virginia has enacted legislation ( House Bill 1207 / Senate Bill 2 ) establishing a state-administered paid family and medical leave insurance program, which will provide individuals with paid leave benefits in

Virginia has become the first Southern state to adopt a mandatory paid family medical leave insurance program. Read here for more information about employer obligations and employee entitlements under this new law. Continue Reading

Under recently enacted Virginia legislation, employers will be prohibited from enforcing noncompete covenants entered into, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2026, with employees who are terminated and not offered severance, unless the employees are discharged for cause.

Virginia Advances Heat Illness Legislation While Other States Are Poised to Follow Suit Heat illness prevention continues to be a key focus for state regulators as they move to fill the void left by OSHA’s still-uncompleted proposed heat standard. Most recently, the Virginia legislature approved hea

Virginia’s new Democratic majority in the General Assembly has sent a slate of legislative reforms to Governor Abigail Spanberger’s desk that would address a broad range of employment-related subjects in the Commonwealth, including paid sick leave and paid family medical leave , noncompetition agree

With its new Democratic majority, Virginia’s legislature is moving rapidly to fulfill campaign promises to reshape the Commonwealth’s employment landscape, and perhaps further modify its business-friendly reputation as a result. Among these, newly-elected Governor Abigail Spanberger is likely to sig

Virginia General Assembly Sends Bill Limiting Non-Competes to Governor’s Desk On March 4, 2026, the Virginia General Assembly approved Senate Bill No. 170 , which amends the existing non-compete statute to limit the enforceability of restrictive covenants for certain terminated employees. If enacted

On January 27, 2026, the Court of Appeals of Virginia ruled in Sentry Force Security, LLC v. Barrera that employers in the state: (i) can enforce customer nonsolicitation clauses that restrain low-wage workers from directly soliciting a customer, (ii) cannot enforce customer nonsolicitation clauses

2025 Session of the Virginia General Assembly Roundup Expansion of Restrictions on Non-Compete Agreements for “Low-Wage” Employees tgelbman@littler.com Mon, 08/04/2025 - 10:07

Virginia’s New “Vulnerable Victim” Law Increases Employers’ Potential for Vicarious Liability in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Suits Against Employees A new Virginia law , effective July 1, 2025, adds Section 8.01-42.6 to the Virginia Code to address employers’ vicarious liability for their emp