New year, new laws in Virginia

RICHMOND – Some Virginia workers can expect a pay increase in 2026, and minors can expect daily time limits on their favorite social media platforms. Minimum wage, social media and health and safety are among issues affected by a range of new Virginia laws going into effect Jan. 1. Wages and unemployment According to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, the minimum wage climbs 36 cents on Thursday to $12.77/hour until Jan. 1, 2027. VDLI offers the formula for the wage hike on its website for a free mathematics lesson: multiply the current $12.41 times the U.S. Department of Labor's 2024 Average Consumer Price Index – the amount all items rose in price – of 2.9%. Add that result to the current minimum wage, and you have the new minimum wage figure. In the case of tipped workers – such as waiters/waitresses and servers – employers must pay those workers no less than $2.13 an hour. Those same workers' wages and tips, however, must meet the new minimum wage rate. On the unemployment benefits side, Virginia will start paying an additional $52 per week on eligible recipients' weekly unemployment benefits. Social media Minors in Virginia can expect a crimp in their social media usage starting Thursday, thanks to the General Assembly and outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Youngkin in May signed the Consumer Data Protection Act, which means that children under 16 will be limited to one hour per day per specific social media platform. Operators of those platforms are required to verify if a user is under 16. Parents, however, would be allowed under those systems to giver verifiable consent to increase – or decrease – those time limits. Health and food safety Baby food, breast cancer exams, fentanyl testing and food containers join the list of new Virginia laws. Manufacturers of baby food now have new testing and reporting requirements related to any toxic heavy metals in those products. Consumers also are required to report those products to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services if they have a reasonable belief that baby food being sold in Virginia exceeds federal limits for heavy metals. Effective Jan. 1, health insurance companies can no longer make their patients share the cost of breast diagnostic exams using mammograms, MRI or ultrasounds. Malcolm's Law – named for teenager Malcolm Kent, who died of fentanyl poisoning after being sent home from an emergency room – will require hospitals with emergency rooms to include fentanyl testing as part of urine drug screening to diagnose a patient's condition. In another six months, food vendors with fewer than 20 Virginia locations have to stop using expanded polystyrene – Styrofoam – contained by July 1. State legislation already issued the ban on vendors with 20 or more state locations in July 2025. Localities still may grant food vendors up to a one year exemption from the Styrofoam ban if they can demonstrate compliance would cause undue economic hardship. Affected vendors can apply for an extension provided they can demonstrate continued undue hardship. Telephone solicitation Do you want to stop getting text messages from telephone solicitors? The Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act; now requires solicitors to stop sending those messages to individuals who respond by texting telephone solicitations by texting "UNSUBSCRIBE" or "STOP." Those two words mean the solicitor has to stop sending messages to that person for at least 10 years. Telemarketers and solicitors also must restrict their calls to between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time unless they get prior consent of the person being called. Itemized bill … for traffic conviction Virginians may have a hard time figuring out the fees for buying tickets to event, but the cost of one kind of ticket will become clearer on Jan. 1. Persons convicted on traffic violations – or any crime – in Virginia will be able to request an itemized bill for fine, restitution, forfeiture, or penalty or assessed any other costs in the circuit court or appropriate district court. The defendant can request the bill in writing or online.