HB 238 VA

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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.

• Alfonso H. Lopez Democratic · primary

1. Jan 8, 2026 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104955D · lower
2. Jan 8, 2026 Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce · lower
3. Jan 15, 2026 Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #2 · lower
4. Jan 22, 2026 House subcommittee offered · lower
5. Jan 22, 2026 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 2-N) · lower
6. Jan 27, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) · lower
7. Jan 27, 2026 Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (15-Y 7-N) · lower
8. Jan 27, 2026 Committee substitute printed 26105944D-H1 · lower
9. Jan 29, 2026 Read first time · lower
10. Jan 30, 2026 Floor offered Delegate Lopez Amendments · lower
11. Jan 30, 2026 Floor offered Delegate Lopez Amendments · lower
12. Jan 30, 2026 Read second time · lower
13. Jan 30, 2026 committee substitute agreed to · lower
14. Jan 30, 2026 Delegate Lopez Floor amendments agreed to · lower
15. Jan 30, 2026 Delegate Lopez Floor amendments agreed to · lower
16. Jan 30, 2026 Engrossed by House - committee substitute as amended · lower
17. Feb 2, 2026 Read third time and passed House (64-Y 35-N 0-A) · lower
18. Feb 3, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) · upper
19. Feb 3, 2026 Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor · upper
20. Feb 11, 2026 Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/11/2026 4:09 pm) · lower
21. Feb 13, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) · lower
22. Mar 2, 2026 Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 6-N) · upper
23. Mar 3, 2026 Committee substitute printed 26108602D-S1 · upper
24. Mar 3, 2026 Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (3/3/2026 3:58 pm) · lower
25. Mar 6, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) · lower
26. Mar 6, 2026 Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 4-N) · upper
27. Mar 9, 2026 Rules suspended · upper
28. Mar 9, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
29. Mar 9, 2026 Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) · upper
30. Mar 10, 2026 Read third time · upper
31. Mar 10, 2026 Commerce and Labor Substitute agreed to · upper
32. Mar 10, 2026 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute · upper
33. Mar 10, 2026 Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A) · upper
34. Mar 11, 2026 Senate substitute rejected by House (0-Y 98-N 1-A) · lower
35. Mar 12, 2026 Senate insisted on substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
36. Mar 12, 2026 Senate requested conference committee · upper
37. Mar 12, 2026 House acceded to request · lower
38. Mar 12, 2026 Conferees appointed by House · lower
39. Mar 12, 2026 House Conferees: Lopez, Anthony, Garrett · lower
40. Mar 12, 2026 Conferees appointed by Senate · upper
41. Mar 12, 2026 Senate Conferees: Surovell, McPike, Stuart · upper
42. Mar 14, 2026 Conference Report released · legislature
43. Mar 14, 2026 Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (3/14/2026 2:04 pm) · lower
44. Mar 14, 2026 Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 35-N 0-A) · lower
45. Mar 14, 2026 Conference report agreed to by Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A) · upper
46. Mar 23, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) · lower
47. Mar 30, 2026 Enrolled · lower
48. Mar 30, 2026 Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB238ER) · lower
49. Mar 30, 2026 Signed by President · upper
50. Mar 31, 2026 Signed by Speaker · lower
51. Mar 31, 2026 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 · lower
52. Mar 31, 2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 · executive
53. Apr 2, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB238) · lower
54. Apr 13, 2026 Governor's recommendation received by House · executive
55. Apr 14, 2026 Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (4/14/2026 12:41 pm) · lower
56. Apr 16, 2026 Substitute bill reprinted 26110450D · lower
57. Apr 20, 2026 Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (4/20/2026 4:21 pm) · lower

The published texts of this bill as it moves through the legislature. Each links to the official document on the state legislature site. Data from OpenStates.

• Governor Substitute · PDF
• Governor Substitute · HTML
• Governor Substitute · PDF
• Governor Substitute · HTML
• Governor's Recommendation · HTML
• Enrolled · PDF
• Enrolled · HTML
• Conference Report · HTML
• Conference Report Substitute · PDF
• Conference Report Substitute · HTML
• Commerce and Labor Substitute · PDF
• Commerce and Labor Substitute · HTML
• Engrossed · PDF
• Engrossed · HTML
• Delegate Lopez Amendments · HTML
• Delegate Lopez Amendments · HTML
• Delegate Lopez Amendments · HTML
• Delegate Lopez Amendments · HTML
• Labor and Commerce Substitute · PDF
• Labor and Commerce Substitute · HTML
• Labor and Commerce Substitute · PDF
• Labor and Commerce Substitute · HTML
• Subcommittee #2 Subcommittee Substitute · PDF
• Subcommittee #2 Subcommittee Substitute · HTML
• Introduced · PDF
• Introduced · HTML