Labor & Employment

Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount. Provides that, for unemployment compensation claims effective on or after July 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly benefit amount shall be $48 higher than the current weekly benefit amount, as denoted in the table in the printed bill. This bill is identical to HB 1320.

Protection of employees; standards for heat illness prevention; Safety and Health Codes Board. Requires the Safety and Health Codes Board (the Board) to adopt regulations designed to protect workers from heat illness, as defined in the bill, during indoor and outdoor work. The bill provides that such regulations shall be enforced by the Board's existing authority. The bill directs the Board, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Industry, to develop and adopt regulations that require employers to implement heat illness prevention plans and to convene an advisory panel to assist in developing such regulations. This bill is identical to SB 288.

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.

Virginia Human Rights Act; unlawful discrimination. Prohibits any state agency or political subdivision in the Commonwealth from supporting, implementing, recognizing, or utilizing any program, process, or procedure that conveys or denies a benefit, advantage, or privilege to an individual based solely on such individual's race, sex, or ethnicity.

Alyssa's Law; public schools; wearable panic alarm systems permitted. Permits any school board to provide any school board employee in a public elementary or secondary school building in the local school division with a wearable panic alarm system, defined in the bill as a security system that is capable of being worn on the body of the user and by which the user manually activates a device that sends (i) a signal to the local 9-1-1 public safety answering point that indicates a school security emergency that requires immediate response and assistance from such public safety answering point and (ii) a multisensory schoolwide school security emergency notification, when appropriate.

Labor and employment; warehouse employers; required disclosures and recordkeeping; civil penalties. Requires each employer of 500 or more warehouse employees in the Commonwealth to provide a written description of each quota to which an employee is subject, any incentive or bonus associated with meeting the quota, and any potential adverse employment action that may result from failure to meet the quota. Such employers are also required to disclose the use of an automated or algorithmic management system to monitor or evaluate employee performance. Under the bill, the time periods in quotas must account for relevant standards for meal periods, rest periods, bathroom access, or workplace safety. The bill also requires such employers to keep records of each employee's work-speed data, aggregate work-speed data, and written quota disclosures provided to employees. The bill prohibits retaliatory action against an employee for requesting information, making a good faith complaint, or participating in an investigation and includes a rebuttable presumption that any adverse employment action taken within 90 days of such conduct is retaliatory. Provisions of the bill are enforceable by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry under existing provisions to enforce and remedy safety and health violations.

Workforce Transition Act of 1995; eligibility for transitional severance benefit; officers and employees of the Fort Monroe Authority. Provides that employees of the Fort Monroe Authority are eligible for transitional severance benefits conferred by the Workforce Transition Act of 1995 if (i) reemployment with the Commonwealth is not possible because there is no available position for which the employee is qualified or the position offered to the employee requires relocation or a reduction in salary and (ii) involuntary separation was due to causes other than job performance or misconduct.

Retaliatory action against employee prohibited; remedies available. Provides that a violation of certain provisions regarding retaliatory action against employees may be alleged in a court of competent jurisdiction within two years after the employer's most recent prohibited retaliatory action. The bill states that in such a case, treble damages may be awarded if such violation was willful.

Covenants not to compete; health care professionals; civil penalty. Adds health care professionals as a category of employee with or upon whom no employer shall enter into, enforce, or threaten to enforce a covenant not to compete. The bill defines "health care professional" as any person licensed, registered, or certified by the Board of Medicine, Nursing, Counseling, Optometry, Psychology, or Social Work. The bill provides that any employer that violates the prohibition against covenants not to compete with a health care professional is subject to the civil penalty in current law of $10,000 for each violation. This bill is identical to HB 627.

Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program. Establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Pilot Program (the Pilot Program) to provide matching funds in order to incentivize employers to contribute to the child care costs of their employees. The Pilot Program shall be established by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (the Foundation), which will establish guidelines and procedures deemed necessary for administration of the Pilot Program. The bill provides that the Foundation shall provide an interim report to the General Assembly by September 1, 2027, and a summative report to the General Assembly by September 1, 2028, on the effectiveness and impact of the Pilot Program.