RICHMOND, Va. -- While most new Virginia laws take effect on July 1, more than half a dozen laws are taking effect Jan. 1, bringing changes to wages, social media use, healthcare coverage and consumer protections.
Starting Jan. 1, Virginia's minimum wage will increase 36 cents to $12.77 per hour, tied to inflation. Outgoing Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin had vetoed Democratic-controlled General Assembly legislation to further increase the minimum wage over the past two years.
New legislation has been filed for the upcoming session that would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2028 and tie future increases to inflation, if passed and signed by incoming Democratic Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger.
Weekly unemployment benefits will also see an increase of $52 above the current amount. The legislation behind this increase calls for a study to examine annual adjustments to the weekly benefit amount. Both changes were recommendations from the Commission on Unemployment Compensation, which discussed several proposed changes and noted benefits hadn't been increased in over a decade.
"The economy has increased, things have gotten more expensive," said Pat Levy-Lavelle, an attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center. "And for folks and their families who are going through periods of unemployment, it's time that we recognized that they're going to need a little more to survive day-to-day while they work."
Local News
Richmond's plastic bag tax goes into effect on Jan. 1
Social media companies will be required to make their best efforts to determine if users are younger than 16 years old and limit their platform time to one hour per day. Parents will have the ability to raise or lower that limit.
"We see how much it hinders their ability to do well in school and you see how much it hinders their socialization with their friends," said Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, who carried the legislation.
Consumer protection will expand with a new law allowing people to respond with "UNSUBSCRIBE" or "STOP" to end unsolicited business text messages. Companies must honor these requests for at least 10 years.
Healthcare changes include requiring hospitals with emergency rooms to test for fentanyl during drug screenings. Health insurance companies will no longer be allowed to impose cost-sharing for diagnostic and supplemental breast exams and will have to cover prostate cancer screenings at no cost to patients, following the latest medical guidelines.
"Many times women show up at the doctor's office for these secondary screens and are asked to provide an upfront payment of $300, $500, even $1,000 and we know that is a huge barrier to care," said Del. Shelly Simonds.
"Prostate is a very curable disease, but people have to have access to healthcare and so this assures people that men have that care," said Del. Terry Austin.
Baby food safety will be strengthened with a ban on products containing toxic heavy metals like lead or arsenic that exceed FDA limits. Manufacturers must test their products at least once monthly and post results online.
Click here for a complete list of new laws taking effect in Virginia on Jan. 1, 2026
Agriculture
HB 1844. Baby Food Protection Act; testing and labeling requirements for toxic heavy metals.
Effective January 1, 2026, except where noted in the summary, the law prohibits a person from selling, distributing, or offering for sale a baby food product that contains certain toxic heavy metals that exceed the limits established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The law requires a manufacturer of a baby food product to meet certain testing requirements and include certain information related to toxic heavy metals on the manufacturer's website and on the baby food product. The law requires a consumer to report a baby food product to the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services if the consumer reasonably believes that the baby food is being sold in the Commonwealth with toxic heavy metals that exceed the limits established by the FDA. Effective in due course, the law also directs the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to convene a work group to study and make recommendations on the current enforcement of laws related to the presence of toxic heavy metals in baby food products and any further action needed to address the issue of toxic heavy metals in baby food products. The law requires the work group to report on its findings and recommendations by the first day of the 2026 Regular Session.
Commerce
SB 1339. Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act; telephone solicitations by text message.
Effective January 1, 2026, the law permits an individual receiving a telephone solicitation via text message to request not to receive telephone solicitations from a telephone solicitor by replying to such text message with the word "UNSUBSCRIBE" or "STOP." The law requires a telephone solicitor in receipt of such request to honor such request for at least 10 years from the time such request is made.
Consumer Protections
SB 854. Consumer Data Protection Act; social media platforms; responsibilities and prohibitions related to minors.
Effective January 1, 2026, the law requires that any controller or processor that operates a social media platform shall (i) use commercially reasonable methods, such as a neutral age screen mechanism, to determine whether a user is a minor younger than 16 years of age and (ii) limit any such minor's use of such social media platform to one hour per day, per service or application, and allow a parent to give verifiable parental consent to increase or decrease the daily time limit.
Criminal Procedure
HB 1665. Fines, restitution, forfeiture, penalties, and other costs; criminal and traffic cases; itemized statement.
Effective January 1, 2026, the law requires the clerk of the court, upon written or electronic request, to provide an itemized statement to any defendant convicted of a traffic infraction or a violation of any criminal law of the Commonwealth or of any political subdivision thereof, or found not innocent in the case of a juvenile, who is sentenced to pay a fine, restitution, forfeiture, or penalty or assessed any other costs in the circuit court or appropriate district court of his county or city at the time such fine, restitution, forfeiture, penalty, or other costs are assessed, or within a reasonable time after assessment. The law requires the clerk to also provide an updated statement of the outstanding balances of any fines, forfeiture, and penalties, restitution and costs, or payment history upon written or electronic request of the defendant.
Healthcare
HB2742 Hospitals; urine drug screening to include testing for fentanyl.
Malcolm's Law; hospitals; urine drug screening; fentanyl. Requires hospitals with an emergency department, when conducting a urine drug screening, as defined in the bill, to assist in diagnosing a patient's condition, to include testing for fentanyl in such urine drug screening. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2026.
Insurance
HB 1828/SB 1436. Health insurance; cost sharing for breast examinations.
The law prohibits health insurance carriers from imposing cost sharing for diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast examinations, as those terms are defined in the law, under certain insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 2026. The law provides that such examinations include examinations using diagnostic mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, or breast ultrasound. As introduced, this law was a recommendation of the Health Insurance Reform Commission.
HB 2097/SB 1314. Health insurance; coverage requirements for prostate cancer screenings.
The law updates existing mandated coverage requirements for prostate cancer screenings to reflect updated tests and guidelines from the American Cancer Society while also removing certain references to American Cancer Society Guidelines. Updated coverage requirements apply to health care coverage companies, the health care coverage plan for state employees, and the state plan for medical assistance services. The law's provisions apply only to contracts, policies, or plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2026. As introduced, this law was a recommendation of the Health Insurance Reform Commission.
Labor & Employment
HB 1766/SB 1056. Unemployment compensation; increase weekly benefit amounts; report.
The law provides that, for unemployment compensation claims effective on or after January 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly benefit amount shall be $52 higher than the current weekly benefit amount, as denoted in the table in the printed law. The law directs the Commission on Unemployment Compensation, in consultation with the Virginia Employment Commission, to convene a work group to study making annual adjustments to individual weekly benefit amounts based on the average weekly wage. As introduced, this law was a recommendation of the Commission on Unemployment Compensation.
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