An Act to amend and reenact § 40.1-28.9, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to minimum wage; farm laborers or farm employees.
HB20 amends Virginia’s minimum wage statute, specifically the definitions section in § 40.1-28.9, to change the treatment of farm laborers or farm employees under the state wage law. The bill updates the list of workers excluded from the definition of “employee” for purposes of the minimum wage article, and the caption indicates the measure is focused on minimum wage as it applies to farm laborers or farm employees. Based on the text provided, the bill is a technical amendment to the wage-law definitions rather than a broad rewrite of wage standards.
The bill’s legal effect is to modify state wage-law coverage in Title 40.1 by clarifying or adjusting which workers are covered by Virginia’s minimum wage requirements. Because the statute defines who is an “employee” for purposes of the minimum wage article, changes to that definition can affect whether certain farm workers are entitled to state minimum wage protections or remain excluded under the law. The bill also carries forward the statute’s effective-date structure, indicating it amends both the current version and the version scheduled to take effect later.
HB20 changes Virginia Code § 40.1-28.9, which is part of the Commonwealth’s minimum wage framework, and therefore affects the scope of workers covered by state wage protections. The practical impact is on farm laborers or farm employees, who are specifically referenced in the bill caption and in the employee-exclusion language. Employers in agriculture, farm workers, and potentially wage-enforcement agencies are the primary parties affected by the amendment.
No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the materials supplied. The bill’s enactment as Chapter 357 suggests it ultimately received enough legislative support to pass and be signed into law. From the text alone, the measure appears to be a targeted statutory adjustment rather than a highly controversial omnibus change.
The main point of contention likely concerns whether farm laborers or farm employees should be included within Virginia’s minimum wage protections or remain excluded, since the bill directly addresses that category in the employee-definition section. Any disagreement would likely fall along lines between labor advocates, who may favor broader wage coverage for agricultural workers, and agricultural employers or industry groups, who may prefer maintaining exemptions or narrower coverage. However, the provided materials do not include transcript evidence identifying specific arguments or legislators.