Virginia Becomes First Southern State to Mandate Paid Family and Medical Leave for Workers

After Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed twin bills on Monday, Virginia is now on track to establish a paid family and medical leave program by 2028. The new law builds on the governor’s campaign promises and several years of work by state lawmakers who have long championed the measure.

Ella Gilbreath, 5, sucks her thumb while she attends an event where Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed into law the state’s paid family and medical leave program on May 11, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)

Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, and House Bill 1207 by Del. Brianna Sewell, D-Prince William, will allow workers to take up to 12 weeks off when caring for ill family members, receiving long-term care for their own health, or when having a child.

The law also allows up to four weeks of “safe leave” for people enduring domestic violence, sexual assault, or harassment. This time off can support survivors navigating legal systems and major life changes as they escape unsafe situations.

The bills were personal for both legislators. Sewell had advocated for the policy even before being elected to public office, and Boysko had carried the legislation 8 times before this year’s successful effort.

At a bill signing event at the state Capitol on Monday, Boysko said the law would have been helpful when she was a young mother who experienced a pregnancy complication. While healing from a challenging birth and with her daughter in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 20 miles away, her husband wasn’t able to take leave from his job to help.

“Thank you for believing in something so passionately, so fiercely, so completely,” Spanberger said to both women before signing the bills.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger smiles after signing a law to create a paid family and medical leave program for workers on May 11, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)

The new family and medical leave law can give small businesses a “competitive advantage” in attracting and retaining employees while boosting the larger companies that have already led by example, Spanberger said.

Though federal law requires companies with 50 or more workers to allow for the same amount of leave, it doesn’t require workers to be paid.

Over a dozen states have enacted some form of mandated paid family leave laws, and nine states have established a version for employers to opt in.

Virginia’s new law permits workers in companies with 10 or more employees to tap into a program to receive up to 80% of their pay while on leave. Though it will entail some initial state funding to set up, eventually the program would be jointly funded as most employers and employees pay into it over time.

Republicans have balked at the idea of the state funding paid leave, since startup costs are estimated to be $117 million over the 2027 and 2028 fiscal years, according to an analysis by the state’s Department of Planning and Budget.

Though the proposal has garnered support from small businesses, Del. Michael Webert, R-Faquier, cautioned during the most recent legislative session that the idea might not work for some smaller businesses.

Former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had called the idea a “one-size-fits-all government mandate” when he vetoed the proposal last year.

Spanberger, a mom of three, signed the bills the day after Mother’s Day. She and lawmakers emphasized the policy’s significant benefits for working mothers like Abbey Conley, a Virginia resident who spoke in support of the legislation.

Conley developed high blood pressure later in her pregnancy — which can be a contributor to dangerous and deadly complications — and had to begin her unpaid medical leave early.

While she balanced her health concerns with her first days of motherhood in 2017, her husband could only get a couple of days off work. Meanwhile, she said, the bills were piling up, and the stress levels were rising.”

“Paid leave would have made a huge difference for my family,” Conley added. “Families in Virginia will be able to care for themselves and their loved ones without having to sacrifice their jobs or a paycheck.”

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury

---

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.