And without further ado (as the people say) here are my top 10, plus the two honorable mentions.
HB 1/SB 1 | Minimum wage is going to $15
What it does: Raises the minimum wage in steps, $13.75 in 2027 and $15.00 by 2028, then ties future increases to inflation.
How it impacts you: If you’re making minimum wage, your paycheck is going up over the next couple of years, and it’ll keep pace with the cost of living after that. This should already be hitting your paychecks!
Chief patron: Del. Jeion Ward (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1HB 1207/SB 2 | Paid family and medical leave, starting 2028
What it does: Sets up a state paid leave program funded by employer and employee premiums, paying about 80% of your average wages for up to 12 weeks of family or medical leave.
How it impacts you: Starting in 2028, you’d have a paid leave option to care for a new baby or a serious illness without losing all your income.
Chief patron: Del. Briana Sewell (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1207HB 6/SB 596 and HB 1182/SB 361 | Contraception is a protected right, and insurance has to cover it
What it does: One bill puts the right to get and use contraception into state law and lets someone sue if that right is violated. The other requires health insurance to cover contraceptive drugs and devices, including over-the-counter options, with no copay in most cases.
How it impacts you: Together, these two bills protect your access to birth control and make sure you’re not paying out of pocket for it.
Chief patrons: Del. Marcia Price (D) and Del. Joshua Thomas (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB6 and https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1182HB 836/SB 491 | Every kid gets a public education, no matter what
What it does: Bars public schools from denying any child a free education based on their or their parents’ immigration status, and creates a way to sue if that happens.
How it impacts you: Every kid in Virginia, regardless of immigration status, keeps their right to go to public school.
Chief patron: Del. Sam Rasoul (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB836HB 217/SB 749 | Assault weapons ban
What it does: Makes it a crime to import, sell, manufacture, buy, or transfer assault firearms or large-capacity ammunition magazines, with some exceptions for antiques and inoperable guns.
How it impacts you: It restricts the sale and transfer of these weapons statewide going forward.
Chief patron: Del. Dan Helmer (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB217HB 1214 | Insulin costs capped at $35
What it does: Lowers the cap on what you pay for a 30-day supply of insulin from $50 to $35, even if you’re on more than one type.
How it impacts you: If you or a family member has diabetes, this directly caps what you pay each month.
Chief patron: Del. Karrie Delaney (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1214HB 153/SB 94 | Data centers need to study their impact before building
What it does: Requires a noise and impact study before a locality approves rezoning for a new large data center, looking at effects on nearby homes, schools, water, farmland, and historic sites.
How it impacts you: If a data center is proposed near you, there now has to be a real study of how it’ll affect your neighborhood before it gets approved by your local government.
Chief patron: Del. Joshua Thomas (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB153HB 15/SB 48 | Renters get more notice before eviction proceedings
What it does: Extends the waiting period after a landlord’s nonpayment notice from 5 days to 14 days before they can pursue eviction remedies.
How it impacts you: If you fall behind on rent, you get more breathing room to catch up before things escalate.
Chief patron: Del. Marcia Price (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB15HB 5/SB 199 | Paid sick leave
What it does: Requires employers to give one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, and lets you use it for your own health, a family member’s, or to deal with domestic abuse or stalking.
How it impacts you: If you get sick or need to care for someone, you shouldn’t have to choose between your paycheck and taking care of yourself or your family. Your employer will be required to give you this leave after July 1, 2027.
Chief patron: Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB5HB 636/SB 215 | Employers can’t ask about your salary history
What it does: Bans employers from asking your past salary, using it against you, or penalizing you for asking what a job pays. Also requires pay ranges to be posted in job listings.
How it impacts you: You go into job interviews and postings knowing the pay range up front, instead of it being a mystery or based on what you made before.
Chief patron: Del. Michelle Maldonado (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB636
Honorable mentions
SB 429 | More oversight for nursing homes
What it does: Requires nursing homes to tell families if a required doctor visit gets skipped, do yearly and ongoing assessments of residents, and directs the state to step up staffing and oversight.
How it impacts you: If you have a loved one in a nursing home, there’s now more accountability built in to catch problems early.
Chief patron: Sen. Chris Head (R)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB429HB 82/SB 58, HB 773, and HB 774 | Easier absentee and provisional voting
What it does: Moves the absentee ballot deadline from noon to 5:00 p.m., extends and clarifies the window to fix mistakes on absentee and provisional ballots, and requires officials to actually reach out if there’s a problem with your provisional ballot.
How it impacts you: You get more time and a clearer process to make sure your vote counts, even if something on your ballot needs fixing.
Chief patrons: Del. Adele McClure (D) and Del. Virgil Thornton (D)
Read it: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB82, https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB773, https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB774
The deal remains the same - read more about each piece of legislation on LIS. And if 36 bills impacting your life aren’t enough, the Department of Legislative Services identified even more through their In Due Course report.
While I know we all have our eyes set on what’s ahead, it’s important to celebrate progress as it happens. Our legislators did some great things this year. Some of the issues addressed in these 36 bills are just small steps in the right direction, and others are huge wins! Yet I know some big things were missed. People across the Commonwealth have been left wanting on issues of affordability from utilities to housing, our pharmacy prices, workers’ rights like collective bargaining, and healthcare, including the Medicaid cap.
While the legislation is now law, implementation takes time. These bills may not be impacting your life today, precisely, but a few months from now they very much might be. Others have delayed enactments, so know they’re headed your way, just not quite yet.
The work is never-ending and cyclical! So while campaigns are well underway for midterms, our legislators are already hard at work for 2027 legislation. So if you don’t see a solution to a problem you have every day, call your state or local representative; there may be a legislative fix. You never know, unless you ask! What do you want to see become a law in 2027?
