Virginia Dems revive paid sick leave push they once stalled

Catch up quick: Paid sick leave gained momentum among state Dems in 2020 and 2021, when the party last controlled the legislature and governor's mansion as the pandemic exposed gaps in worker protections.

• But the effort ultimately fell apart over business opposition, cost concerns and whether to include part-time workers.

The latest: The General Assembly session starting Wednesday will test whether enough has changed since then for this time to be different.

• Their House majority is larger (by 13 seats), some Senate Democrats who fought previous bills have retired, and a sweeping paid sick leave measure was within reach last year.
• That is, until Gov. Youngkin vetoed it for the same concerns that once fractured Democrats.

Zoom in: One bill filed ahead of the session revives last year's proposal, requiring private and government employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, starting in 2027.

• It also adds civil penalties and enforcement tools.
• A Senate version from Sen. Barbara Favola, shared with Axios, proposes phasing in the same policy over several years, starting with larger businesses in 2027, instead of all at once.
• Both would expand a 2021 law that gave home health workers paid sick leave, a compromise made after Democrats gutted their broader, initial plan.

By the numbers: About 1.2 million working Virginians lack paid sick leave, per estimates from the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.

The intrigue: This year's bills also mirror a proposal floated in 2020 as the COVID pandemic escalated — one of the first paid sick leave efforts to fail under the last trifecta.

• In a later 2020 special session, both chambers also hesitated to mandate COVID-related paid sick leave, largely over costs to businesses.
• "The timing isn't right for it," Democratic Sen. John Bell said then.

Similar bills failed in the years that followed: first in a Republican-controlled House in 2022 and 2023, then in a Democrat-led Senate Finance Committee in 2024.

• Committee chair Sen. Louise Lucas said at the time that "We've got to find out where we are going to get the money from," per WTVF.

Follow the money: Paid sick leave — as outlined in last year's vetoed bill — was projected to cost the state more than $9 million a year, per state budget analysts.

What we're watching: There's a separate proposal to create a state-run paid family and medical leave program funded through payroll contributions.

• If passed, most Virginia workers could take up to three months of partially paid leave starting in 2029 for major medical events.
• Sen. Jennifer Boysko, the bill's sponsor, told Axios that employee and employer contributions could be $3-$4 per paycheck each for someone making about $60,000.
• Employers can opt out if they already provide a similar private plan.

Youngkin vetoed similar measures in 2024 and 2025, but Gov.-elect Spanberger has signaled support.

The bottom line: The last two years suggest paid sick leave stalled less because of Democratic infighting and more because of who occupied the governor's office.

• This session should quickly show if that pattern holds.