More than 1,100 bills have come out of the latest General Assembly session, and many take effect on July 1.
As Democrats gained a trifecta with the election of Gov. Abigail Spanberger and control of the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, legislators passed bills focused on immigration enforcement, gun control, housing and tenant protections, reproductive rights and more. Democrats also passed Virginia’s first-ever paid sick leave, paid family and medical leave, and child care assistance programs for workers.
Additional changes will happen on Jan. 1, 2027, including the next minimum wage increase and the Faith in Housing bill that requires localities to allow by-right affordable housing based on faith-based organizations’ property.
While Spanberger vetoed legislation to set up the marijuana retail market in Virginia, the state budget compromise approved by the House and Senate included an agreement to start marijuana sales on July 1, 2027.
Along with the bills passed this session, Democrats are putting constitutional amendments to voter referendums. On Nov. 3, voters will decide the outcome of amendments on codifying abortion rights and same-sex marriage as well as restoring voting rights to felons after their sentences.
Here’s a look at major laws that will become effective this week:
Child Care Assistance Program: Arlington Del. Adele McClure (D-2) sponsored a bill (HB 18) to create the Employee Child Care Assistance Program with matching state funds to incentivize employers to provide contributions for their employees’ childcare costs. The intent of the program is to address high child care costs and employee retention. The approved state budget allocates $25 million for the program in fiscal year 2027, and the program is being administered by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation.
Paid family and medical leave program: Virginia’s first paid family and medical leave program (SB 2 and HB 1207) will take effect on July 1, although contributions from employers and employees won’t begin until April 1, 2028 and benefits won’t launch until Dec. 1, 2028. Currently, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act allows employees to get up to 12 weeks of leave and maintain insurance for qualifying family or medical events, but it does not require pay during the leave. The new Virginia program will allow employees to take leave for a covered reason and receive 80% of the employee’s average weekly earnings — not exceeding the state’s average weekly net earnings. The limit for leave will be 12 weeks for family and medical leave and four weeks for recovery services, mental health treatment or domestic violence.
The legislation is one of two employee paid leave programs passed last session. State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40)’s paid sick leave program bill (SB 199) will take effect on July 1, 2027.
Gun bills: Favola and fellow Arlington state Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-39)’s pair of bills (SB 38 and HB 93) seek to close a loophole over gun transfers from a person facing a protective order or conviction of assault and battery of a family or household member. The new laws stipulate that when a person is banned from possessing a gun, it cannot be transferred to a person under 21 or a person living with the prohibited person. The legislation creates a form to inform courts and law enforcement about who is intended to receive the gun and allows for a follow-up if the transfer has not happened.
The most controversial gun-related bills that were set to take effect on July 1 — a ban on assault-style guns (SB 749 and HB 217) — are on pause as a court decides their outcome.
Another bill from former Arlington state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) (SB 323) will ban the manufacture, import, purchase, sale, transfer and possession of untraceable “ghost guns” without serial numbers on July 1, 2027.
Federal immigration agreements: Arlington Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3)’s bill on restricting local and state law enforcement agreements with federal immigration enforcement (HB 1441) will become effective on July 1. The bill also bans law enforcement officers from cooperating with operations involving civil immigration violations. Exceptions are provided when a valid judicial warrant or subpoena is presented and when a federal immigration detainer is presented for inmate transfers.
A handful of bills responding to backlash against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement approach had been proposed in the last General Assembly session. Spanberger signed a law enforcement face mask ban (SB 352 and HB 1482,) and vetoed legislation (SB 351 and HB 650) that would restrict federal immigration agents from conducting civil arrests in certain public places, including courthouses, schools and health care facilities.
The U.S. Justice Department is challenging the face mask ban and federal immigration agreements bills.
Tenant and eviction protections: Several tenant rights and eviction prevention bills passed in the General Assembly session. One pair of bills (HB 15 and SB 48) increases the mandatory waiting period for a landlord to pursue remedies for termination of a rental agreement from five to 14 days. The waiting period start date is when a landlord provides written notice of a tenant’s lack of rent payment and plan to end the lease. Other bills will require landlords to accept rent and security deposits by checks or money orders, allow tenants to present evidence on uninhabitable living conditions as defense, prohibit certain landlords from taking adverse action against tenants because of dismissed or nonsuited unlawful detainers and establish an Eviction Reduction Program.
Right to contraception: Another pair of bills taking effect July 1 (HB 6 and SB 596) will guarantee the right for women to access birth control, including over-the-counter medications. Democrats see the legislation as a way to strengthen reproductive rights after the overturning of Roe v. Wade while most other Southern states have weakened protections.
Transparency on job listing pay: New legislation (SB 215 and HB 636) will prohibit employers from seeking job candidates’ salary or wage history. Under the legislation, job candidates will not have to disclose their pay, and employers will need to provide a salary range in a job posting. The legislation is intended to address wage gaps and is backed by job listing companies like Indeed.
Styrofoam-type container ban: A state law passed in 2021 requires restaurants and other food service establishments to stop using polystyrene foam containers. Food vendors with 20 or more locations had to phase out the products by July 1, 2025, and remaining vendors have to stop using them on July 1, 2026.
