Virginia bills · 2026 Regular Session
Virginia HB 238
Minimum wage and overtime wages; payment, definitions, misclassification of workers, civil actions.
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became law
Sponsors
- Alfonso H. Lopez (Democratic)
Cosponsors (13)
- Kathy K.L. Tran (Democratic)
- Irene Shin (Democratic)
- Marcia S. "Cia" Price (Democratic)
- Kimberly Pope Adams
- Leslie Chambers Mehta
- Adele Y. McClure (Democratic)
- Destiny LeVere Bolling (Democratic)
- Karen Keys-Gamarra (Democratic)
- Phil M. Hernandez (Democratic)
- Rozia A. Henson, Jr. (Democratic)
- Rae Cousins (Democratic)
- Betsy B. Carr (Democratic)
- Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker (Democratic)
Summary
Official abstract published by the Virginia legislature· SUMMARY AS PASSED
Labor and employment; payment of wages; minimum wage and overtime wages; misclassification of workers; prevailing wage rate; civil actions. Provides that an employer that violates provisions relating to minimum wage, overtime wages provisions, the misclassification of workers, or the prevailing wage rate is subject to civil actions for the applicable remedies, damages, or other relief available in an action brought pursuant to the civil action provisions currently available for the nonpayment of wages. Such provisions currently available provide that an employee may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover payment of the wages, and the court is required to award the wages owed, an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, plus prejudgment interest thereon, and reasonable attorney fees and costs. Under current law, if the court finds that the employer knowingly failed to pay wages to an employee, the court is required to award the employee an amount equal to triple the amount of wages due and reasonable attorney fees and costs. The bill also prohibits an employer from taking certain retaliatory actions against an employee because the employee reports any information or allegation in good faith that, if true, amounts to a violation of any federal or state law or regulation to a supervisor, manager, or officer, or to any governmental body or law-enforcement official, including a report made in the ordinary course of the employee's employment, regardless of whether such report refers to a particular law or regulation.
Text versions
- Introduced
- Subcommittee #2 Subcommittee Substitute
- Labor and Commerce Substitute
- Delegate Lopez Amendments
- Delegate Lopez Amendments
- Engrossed
- Commerce and Labor Substitute
- Conference Report Substitute
- Conference Report
- Enrolled
- Governor's Recommendation
- Governor Substitute
Roll-call votes
State vote data last updated Oct 15, 2026, 12:03 AM.
| Date | Vote | Result | Your legislators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 2026 House | H VOTE: | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Mar 14, 2026 Senate | Adopt Conference Committee Report R | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Mar 12, 2026 Senate | Insist & Request R | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Mar 11, 2026 House | H VOTE: | fail | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Mar 10, 2026 Senate | Passage R | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Mar 9, 2026 Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Mar 6, 2026 Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Mar 2, 2026 Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Feb 2, 2026 House | H VOTE: | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Jan 27, 2026 House | Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
| Jan 22, 2026 House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | Set your home in Virginia to see |
Actions
- Apr 20, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (4/20/2026 4:21 pm) - Apr 16, 2026 · House
Substitute bill reprinted 26110450D - Apr 14, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (4/14/2026 12:41 pm) - Apr 13, 2026
Governor's recommendation received by House - Apr 2, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) - Mar 31, 2026
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 - Mar 31, 2026 · House
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 - Mar 31, 2026 · House
Signed by Speaker - Mar 30, 2026 · Senate
Signed by President - Mar 30, 2026 · House
Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB238ER) - Mar 30, 2026 · House
Enrolled - Mar 23, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) - Mar 14, 2026 · Senate
Conference report agreed to by Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A) - Mar 14, 2026 · House
Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 35-N 0-A) - Mar 14, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (3/14/2026 2:04 pm) - Mar 14, 2026 · Legislature
Conference Report released - Mar 12, 2026 · Senate
Senate Conferees: Surovell, McPike, Stuart - Mar 12, 2026 · Senate
Conferees appointed by Senate - Mar 12, 2026 · House
House Conferees: Lopez, Anthony, Garrett - Mar 12, 2026 · House
Conferees appointed by House - Mar 12, 2026 · House
House acceded to request - Mar 12, 2026 · Senate
Senate requested conference committee - Mar 12, 2026 · Senate
Senate insisted on substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) - Mar 11, 2026 · House
Senate substitute rejected by House (0-Y 98-N 1-A) - Mar 10, 2026 · Senate
Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A) - Mar 10, 2026 · Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute - Mar 10, 2026 · Senate
Commerce and Labor Substitute agreed to - Mar 10, 2026 · Senate
Read third time - Mar 9, 2026 · Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) - Mar 9, 2026 · Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) - Mar 9, 2026 · Senate
Rules suspended - Mar 6, 2026 · Senate
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 4-N) - Mar 6, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) - Mar 3, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (3/3/2026 3:58 pm) - Mar 3, 2026 · Senate
Committee substitute printed 26108602D-S1 - Mar 2, 2026 · Senate
Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 6-N) - Feb 13, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) - Feb 11, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/11/2026 4:09 pm) - Feb 3, 2026 · Senate
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor - Feb 3, 2026 · Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) - Feb 2, 2026 · House
Read third time and passed House (64-Y 35-N 0-A) - Jan 30, 2026 · House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute as amended - Jan 30, 2026 · House
Delegate Lopez Floor amendments agreed to - Jan 30, 2026 · House
Delegate Lopez Floor amendments agreed to - Jan 30, 2026 · House
committee substitute agreed to - Jan 30, 2026 · House
Read second time - Jan 30, 2026 · House
Floor offered Delegate Lopez Amendments - Jan 30, 2026 · House
Floor offered Delegate Lopez Amendments - Jan 29, 2026 · House
Read first time - Jan 27, 2026 · House
Committee substitute printed 26105944D-H1 - Jan 27, 2026 · House
Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (15-Y 7-N) - Jan 27, 2026 · House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) - Jan 22, 2026 · House
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 2-N) - Jan 22, 2026 · House
House subcommittee offered - Jan 15, 2026 · House
Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #2 - Jan 8, 2026 · House
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce - Jan 8, 2026 · House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104955D