Richmond, Virginia. Virginia will see some new laws in the coming year. These five laws take effect on January 1, 2025. Here’s what you should know.
1. Minimum wage will increase 41 cents:
Virginia’s minimum wage will rise to $12.41 an hour. This represents a slight increase from the commonwealth’s current minimum of $12 per hour.
The scheduled increase comes after lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly spent the first half of the year attempting to pass a larger increase of $13.50 per hour for 2025 and $15 per hour for 2026. Despite passing the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed the legislation in March.
Instead, the smaller wage increase is the result of a 1975 law requiring the Commonwealth to adjust the state minimum to the Consumer Price Index – Urban, a figure calculated by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics after analyzing the cost of food, housing, clothing, transportation, and medical care, among other goods and services in urban areas.
The Virginia Department of Labor explained that because the Consumer Price Index predicted an annual increase of 3.4% in 2023, the $12-per-hour minimum wage would also need to rise by 3.4%
2. Legacy admission and donor status (HB 48):
3. Jury service exemption age to increase 3 years (HB 156):
Virginia’s mandatory jury service currently includes people ranging in age from 18 to 70. That age will increase on January 1, when 71, 72, and 73-year-olds will be required to appear before a jury if summoned. Anyone over the age of 73 may be exempted from jury duty upon request.
4. Fines for child labor crimes will increase (HB 100):
The law would fine business owners up to $25,000 if a child died or was seriously injured while working in violation of labor laws. The law, which takes effect in the new year, increases the fine by 150% from the previous $10,000.
Child labor offenses that do not result in death or injury will also face increased fines in 2025. The maximum fine is set at $2,500, and the minimum fine is $500. Once again, the maximum penalty has been increased by 150%, this time from $1,000.
“In determining the amount of such penalty, the appropriateness of such penalty to the size of the business of the person charged and the gravity of the violation shall be considered,” according to the statute.
5. Health insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screening (HB 238):
Starting next year, insurance companies will be required to cover cancer screenings and follow-up colonoscopies for anyone over the age of 45.
“The bill prohibits such coverage from being subject to any deductible coinsurance, or any other cost-sharing requirements for services received from participating providers,” stipulates the law.
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends screenings for anyone over the age of 44. People aged 45 to 49 are classified as Grade B, while those over 49 are classified as a more severe Grade A.
