A BILL to amend and reenact § 2.2-3905 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 40.1 a section numbered 40.1-28.7:12 and a chapter numbered 10, consisting of sections numbered 40.1-143 through 40.1-153, relating to labor and employment; nondiscrimination; prohibiting employer seeking wage or salary history of prospective employees; wage or salary range transparency; predictive scheduling for large employers; causes of action; civil penalties.
HB962 is a labor and employment bill that combines several workplace policy changes. It expands Virginia’s employment nondiscrimination provisions and adds a new section prohibiting employers from seeking or relying on a prospective employee’s wage or salary history, while also requiring employers to disclose a wage or salary range in job, promotion, transfer, and other employment postings. The bill creates a private right of action and authorizes statutory damages, attorney fees, and other relief for violations of the wage-history and pay-transparency provisions.
The bill also establishes a predictive scheduling framework for large retail, hospitality, and food service employers with 500 or more employees worldwide. Covered employers would have to provide new hires with a good-faith estimate of work schedules, give at least 14 days’ advance notice of schedules, maintain voluntary standby lists under specified conditions, provide rest periods between shifts, and pay premiums when schedules are changed on short notice or when employees are required to work during protected rest periods. The bill includes notice, posting, anti-retaliation, enforcement, and civil penalty provisions administered by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry.
If enacted, HB962 would amend § 2.2-3905 and add new provisions to Title 40.1 governing wage-history inquiries, pay-range disclosure, and scheduling practices. It would create new employer obligations for hiring and scheduling, expand enforcement authority for the Department of Labor and Industry, and expose employers to civil penalties and private lawsuits. The bill would primarily affect large retail, hospitality, and food service employers, as well as applicants and employees in those sectors, while also affecting employers generally through the wage-history and pay-transparency rules.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to reflect a pro-worker, pro-transparency policy approach. Its structure suggests support for pay equity, predictable scheduling, and anti-retaliation protections for employees and applicants. Because there are no transcripts or vote records here, there is no documented public sentiment in the supplied context beyond the bill’s apparent policy direction.
The most likely points of contention are the bill’s compliance costs and operational constraints on employers, especially large chains in retail, hospitality, and food service. Employers may object to the ban on salary-history inquiries, mandatory wage-range postings, advance scheduling requirements, premium pay for schedule changes, and the private right of action with statutory damages. Supporters would likely emphasize pay equity, transparency, and worker stability, while opponents would likely focus on administrative burden, reduced scheduling flexibility, and potential litigation exposure.