An Act to amend and reenact §§ 38.2-107.2, 38.2-135, 38.2-316, and 38.2-1800 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 38.2-107.3 and by adding in Title 60.2 a chapter numbered 8, consisting of sections numbered 60.2-800 through 60.2-818, relating to paid family and medical leave insurance program established; notice requirements; civil action; penalty.
HB1207 establishes Virginia’s paid family and medical leave insurance program and creates a new statutory framework in Title 60.2 for administering it. The bill defines “paid family and medical leave insurance” as a policy that can qualify as a private plan approved by the Virginia Employment Commission, and it also updates insurance code provisions to recognize both private family leave insurance and paid family and medical leave insurance as authorized lines of coverage for certain insurers.
The measure requires policy forms and, for these leave products, rate manuals to be filed with the State Corporation Commission before they may be issued in Virginia. It also amends insurance licensing rules so life insurers may be licensed to write these products, and it adds related definitions and regulatory references throughout the insurance code. The new chapter in Title 60.2 is the core of the bill, setting out the paid family and medical leave insurance program, notice requirements, civil action provisions, and penalties.
The bill materially changes Virginia law by creating a new paid family and medical leave insurance program and by integrating that program into the state’s insurance regulatory structure. It amends multiple sections of Title 38.2 to authorize and regulate private family leave and paid family and medical leave insurance products, and it adds a new Chapter 8 to Title 60.2 (sections 60.2-800 through 60.2-818) to govern program operation, employer compliance options, and enforcement. Affected parties include employers, employees, insurers, the Virginia Employment Commission, and the State Corporation Commission.
Based on the available record, the bill appears to have advanced without recorded committee debate or roll-call votes in the provided materials, so there is no documented split in the supplied context. The enacted chapter text suggests the measure had sufficient support to pass and be signed into law. Overall, the sentiment reflected by the legislative outcome is favorable toward creating a paid leave framework and allowing private insurance-based compliance options.
No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so specific objections cannot be directly attributed from the supplied materials. The most likely areas of contention, based on the bill’s structure, would be the creation of a new employer-related leave insurance mandate or program, the regulatory role of the Virginia Employment Commission and State Corporation Commission, and the civil action and penalty provisions. Potentially affected stakeholders would include employers concerned about compliance costs, insurers interested in underwriting and filing requirements, and employee advocates focused on access to paid leave.