# Virginia HB1207: Paid family & med. leave insurance program; definitions, notice requirements, civil action, report. Virginia HB1207, Paid family & med. leave insurance program; definitions, notice requirements, civil action, report., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Briana D. Sewell (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-22 (Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1207-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia HB1207 - State: Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Paid family & med. leave insurance program; definitions, notice requirements, civil action, report. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-14 - Last action: 2026-04-22, Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A) - Sponsor: Briana D. Sewell (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 19 (387 yes, 286 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 15 ## Summary Paid family and medical leave insurance program; notice requirements; civil action. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer a paid family and medical leave insurance program with benefits beginning April 1, 2028. Under the program, benefits are paid to covered individuals, as defined in the bill, for family and medical leave. Funding for the program is provided through premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning April 1, 2028. The bill provides that the amount of a benefit is 80 percent of the employee's average weekly net earnings, not to exceed 100 percent of the statewide average weekly net earnings, which amount is required to be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the statewide average weekly wage. The bill caps the duration of paid leave at 12 weeks in any application year and provides self-employed individuals the option of participating in the program. This bill is identical to SB 2. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Virginia workers gain paid leave coverage: benefit, high. Virginia must establish its paid leave program by January 1, 2028, and begin claims and payments by December 1, 2028. Coverage includes non-Commonwealth employees who meet the program’s earnings and eligibility requirements and are authorized to work when applying. Covered reasons include bonding d… - Workers get up to 12 paid weeks: benefit, high. Eligible workers get up to 12 weeks per benefit year, starting on the first day they qualify. Weekly benefits replace 80% of average wages, or average net earnings for covered self-employed people. The minimum is $100; workers averaging less than $100 receive their full average weekly wage. The max… - State employees keep stronger leave benefits: benefit, medium. Virginia must update Commonwealth employee leave policies, including parental leave, by December 1, 2028. State employee family and medical leave benefits must equal or exceed the new program’s benefits. Existing leave and benefits cannot be reduced when they are more generous. - Workers gain job protection and remedies: benefit, medium. Benefit recipients with at least 120 days at their employer must return to the same or an equivalent job. Equivalent jobs must preserve seniority, benefits, and employment terms. Employers must maintain existing health coverage during protected leave; employees keep paying their previous share. Emp… - Virginia protects leave funding and reporting: benefit, low. Virginia creates a dedicated trust fund for leave contributions, appropriations, and other authorized receipts. Money and interest stay in the fund for benefits, administration, and startup costs; payroll contributions cannot fund unrelated purposes. Startup appropriations must be repaid to the gen… - False claims bring penalties and repayment: cost, high. Willfully making a false statement to defraud the program brings a Class 1 misdemeanor and five-year benefit disqualification. Reckless material misstatements or willfully withholding material facts to obtain benefits bring three-year disqualification after a Commission finding. The Commission can… - Late-paying employers face interest and lawsuits: cost, medium. Overdue contributions accrue 1.5% monthly interest until the Commission receives the payment and accrued interest. After notice, the Commission can sue defaulting employers for contributions, interest, and penalties; employers found in default pay case costs. Individuals can face personal liability… - Self-employed workers gain coverage with waiting: mixed, high. Self-employed people, including sole proprietors and partners, can choose coverage by filing written notice and providing requested income information. Initial coverage lasts at least three years. Choosing coverage within 26 weeks of becoming self-employed avoids a waiting period; choosing later re… - Private leave plans match benefits, pay fees: mixed, medium. Employers can use Commission-approved private plans instead of the state plan and must reapply every two years. Plans must match or exceed covered reasons, weeks, wage replacement, payment limits, intermittent leave, and rights without adding unauthorized restrictions. Worker contributions cannot b… - Workers and employers fund paid leave: mixed, medium. Contributions begin April 1, 2028; the law does not set a fixed contribution rate. Employers with more than 10 employees remit the full amount and deduct 50% from wages, or a smaller agreed share. Employers with 10 or fewer employees remit only the 50% employee share and owe no added employer contr… - Workers can split paid leave schedules: mixed, medium. Covered workers can take paid leave in separate blocks or work a reduced schedule. Benefits are prorated, and only leave actually taken counts against the total allowance. Employees must coordinate schedules with employers and reasonably try to avoid undue disruption. They must give advance schedul… - Leave claimants provide documents with privacy: mixed, low. Claimants must document their leave reason: provider certification for medical claims, birth records, or dated adoption or foster-placement records. Military, service-member care, and safety claims need the documents required by law or program officials. Certifications cannot require disclosures th… - Workers get notices and must notify: mixed, low. Employers must explain benefits, claims, job protections, retaliation protections, and complaint rights when hiring and each year. They must provide information again when workers request leave or employers learn of plans for potentially covered leave. Workplace posters must be accessible and in En… - Workers keep rights while leave overlaps: mixed, low. State paid leave and federal family and medical leave run at the same time when both cover the leave. Employers can require coordination with disability, family-care payments, or workplace leave, but must give written notice. The law preserves more generous leave obligations, and workers cannot wai… - Leave insurers gain access, face oversight: mixed, low. Life insurers can also obtain licenses to sell paid family and medical leave insurance. Insurers must file policy forms and related documents with Virginia’s State Corporation Commission for required review and approval. Before delivering policies, insurers must file rate manuals showing rates, rul… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Briana D. Sewell (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-22 | Senate | Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation | pass | 21 | 18 | | | 2026-04-22 | House | House concurred in Governor's recommendation | pass | 64 | 36 | | | 2026-03-13 | House | Conference report agreed to by House | pass | 62 | 33 | | | 2026-03-13 | Senate | Conference report agreed to by Senate | pass | 21 | 18 | | | 2026-03-11 | Senate | Senate insisted on substitute Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-03-10 | House | Senate substitute rejected by House | fail | 0 | 99 | | | 2026-03-09 | Senate | Passed Senate with substitute | pass | 21 | 19 | | | 2026-03-09 | Senate | Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-09 | Senate | Committee substitute rejected (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-03 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-03-03 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-03 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute | pass | 8 | 5 | | | 2026-03-02 | Senate | Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 8 | 6 | | | 2026-02-17 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 62 | 34 | | | 2026-02-13 | House | Reported from Appropriations with substitute | pass | 15 | 7 | | | 2026-02-11 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute | pass | 5 | 2 | | | 2026-02-03 | House | Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute and referred to Appropriations | pass | 15 | 7 | | | 2026-01-29 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations | pass | 5 | 2 | | ## Actions (68) - 2026-04-22: Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-04-22: House concurred in Governor's recommendation (64-Y 36-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-04-22: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1093) (Governor) - 2026-04-22: Reenrolled bill text (HB1207ER2) (House) - 2026-04-22: Reenrolled (House) - 2026-04-22: Approved by Governor-Chapter 1093 (effective 7/1/2026) (Governor) - 2026-04-22: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-04-22: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-04-22: Governor's recommendation adopted (Governor) - 2026-04-13: Governor's recommendation received by House (Governor) - 2026-03-31: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1207) (House) - 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor) - 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (House) - 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1207ER) (House) - 2026-03-30: Enrolled (House) - 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-03-17: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1207) (House) - 2026-03-13: Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 33-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-03-13: Conference Report released - 2026-03-12: House Conferees: Sewell, Sullivan, Bloxom (House) - 2026-03-12: Conferees appointed by House (House) - 2026-03-12: House acceded to request (House) - 2026-03-12: Conferees appointed by Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-12: Senate Conferees: Boysko, Surovell, Obenshain (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Senate insisted on substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Senate requested conference committee (Senate) - 2026-03-10: Senate substitute rejected by House (0-Y 99-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-03-09: Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Committee substitute rejected (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Read third time (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1207) (House) - 2026-03-06: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Passed by for the day (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Committee substitute printed 26109116D-S2 (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Passed by for the day (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Read third time (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Committee substitute printed 26108995D-S1 (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (8-Y 5-N) (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 6-N) (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1207) (House) - 2026-02-18: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate) - 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed House (62-Y 34-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-16: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House) - 2026-02-16: committee substitute agreed to (House) - 2026-02-16: committee substitute rejected (House) - 2026-02-16: Read second time (House) - 2026-02-15: Read first time (House) - 2026-02-13: Committee substitute printed 26107963D-H2 (House) - 2026-02-13: Reported from Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 7-N) (House) - 2026-02-11: House subcommittee offered (House) - 2026-02-11: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 2-N) (House) - 2026-02-09: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1207) (House) - 2026-02-03: Committee substitute printed 26105567D-H1 (House) - 2026-02-03: Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute and referred to Appropriations (15-Y 7-N) (House) - 2026-02-03: Assigned HAPP sub: Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources (House) - 2026-01-29: House subcommittee offered (House) - 2026-01-29: Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (5-Y 2-N) (House) - 2026-01-27: Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #2 (House) - 2026-01-14: Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce (House) - 2026-01-14: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102476D (House) ## Bill text - Chaptered, 2026-04-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225305.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225304.PDF) - Reenrolled, 2026-04-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220324.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220323.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-04-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219483.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219482.PDF) - Gov Recommendation, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219479.HTML) - Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213679.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213678.PDF) - Conference Report, 2026-03-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210437.HTML) - Substitute, 2026-03-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210434.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210433.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-03-04: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192055.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192054.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-03-03: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1190056.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1190055.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148655.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148654.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143547.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143546.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-11: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1141913.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1141912.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-03: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115293.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115292.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-01-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103831.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103830.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-01-29: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103041.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103040.PDF) - Introduced, 2026-01-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1087760.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1087759.PDF) ## Related bills - HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed) - SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed) - HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed) - HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed) - HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed) - HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed) ## Sources - [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225305.HTML) - [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225304.PDF) - [Reenrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220324.HTML) - [Reenrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220323.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219483.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219482.PDF) - [Gov Recommendation (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219479.HTML) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213679.HTML) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213678.PDF) - [Conference Report (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210437.HTML) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210434.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210433.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192055.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1192054.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1190056.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1190055.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148655.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148654.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143547.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1143546.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1141913.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1141912.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115293.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115292.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103831.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103830.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103041.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1103040.PDF) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1087760.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1087759.PDF) ## Related - [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026) - [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026) - [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026) - [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026) - [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026) - [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026) - [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills) - [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1207-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).