Virginia Legislature to debate paid leave

When the 2021 Virginia General Assembly reconvenes, the session will inevitably be colored by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For starters, the House of Delegates plans to gavel in its regular session virtually, with the state Senate again planning to meet at the Virginia Science Museum to provide for greater social distancing. Significantly, lawmakers are set to resume debate over whether to require employers to offer paid sick and family medical leave.

Movement toward paid leave

About 1.2 million Virginians have no paid sick time or family leave, according to a November 2020 study by the Shift Project. To address the lack of paid leave, various members of the legislature for years have pushed to pass laws requiring most employers to provide the benefit. The members argue the legislation would help maintain the state’s competitive edge in attracting workers, as Maryland and 13 other states plus the District of Columbia have already enacted such protections for employees.

And, with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of paid leave legislation to both employees and the public health has never been clearer. According to Richmond and Henrico County Health Director Dr. Danny Avula, the spread of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth could have been drastically reduced if paid leave had been available to more workers. That’s because “the vast majority of our exposures and our outbreaks are happening in workplaces,” Avula said.