As we previously reported here, the Virginia legislature enacted a number of recent employment law updates. The most recent addition to this roster is Virginia’s expanded paid sick leave statute. On May 20, 2026, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed into law House Bill 5/Senate Bill 199, which mandates that all private employers and nearly all state and local governments provide eligible employees with at least one hour of paid leave for every thirty (30) hours worked, up to an annual accrual and usage cap of forty (40) hours, with unused leave carrying over to the following year.
When the law takes effect, eligible employees will be permitted to use their paid sick leave for personal and family reasons, such as their own or a family member’s physical or mental illness, injury or to obtain preventative or acute medical care, or to seek services, relocate or secure a new home due to domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking. “Family member” is defined broadly, and not only includes close blood, adoptive and marital relatives, but also individuals for whom an employee is responsible for providing or arranging health or safety-related care and any other individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with an employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Unlike some states that have enacted state family and medical leave insurance programs, Virginia requires employers to fund and administer paid sick leave directly. Paid sick leave begins to...
Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices by postnatal care centre Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 25) arrested a female director and salesperson of a postnatal care centre suspected of h...