Insights Archive

Amendment to Virginia Overtime Wage Act Restores Certain Employee Overtime Exemptions

Over the past 16 months, a quiet labor and employment law revolution has been underway in Virginia. In the first quarter of 2021, the Virginia General Assembly doubled down legislative initiatives, imposing several additional labor and employment changes that will present challenges for many employers across the Commonwealth. By way of example, consider the new Virginia Overtime Wage Act (VOWA), Va. Code § 40.1-29.2, the wage and hour implications of which significantly deviate from requirements in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

J. Clay Rollins Richmond Author

W. Ryan Waddell Richmond Author

Virginia’s Recreational Marijuana Legislation and New Employee Medicinal Use Protections

On April 21, 2021, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed into law House Bill No. 2312 and Senate Bill No. 1406, moving the date of recreational marijuana legalization in Virginia up to July 1, 2021. The legalization movement, which has increased in momentum in the Commonwealth since Democrats gained a majority in the legislature, culminated in February 2021, when the General Assembly passed recreational legalization measures with an effective date of January 2024.

J. Clay Rollins Richmond Author

Scott A. Siegner Richmond Author

Employers, Take Note: Virginia Enacts Broad Protections for Private-Sector Whistleblowers

In our previous article—What Virginia Employers Might Have Missed While Managing COVID-19: The Silent Labor and Employment Law Revolution—we detailed some of the most impactful labor and employment law changes enacted by the Virginia General Assembly this year. These included an increased minimum wage, local-level public employee bargaining, a new cause of action for misclassification, and an overhauled employment discrimination framework. But Virginia’s labor and employment law revolution did not stop there.

J. Clay Rollins Richmond Author

What Virginia Employers May Have Missed While Managing COVID-19: The Silent Labor and Employment Law Revolution

Virginia has long billed itself as a business-friendly state with low taxes and commonsense employment regulations. But recent changes—largely adopted with little fanfare or scrutiny—are poised to revolutionize the labor and employment landscape in Virginia. These changes—compounded by the likely recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic—will present tremendous challenges for Virginia employers.

J. Clay Rollins Richmond Author

Ogletree Governmental Affairs State Round-Up

In the past few months, a number of state and local developments have emerged that are likely to resonate across the country. The following is a tour of some of the most recent and significant state-specific legislation, legal rulings, and other developments occurring around the United States.

Christopher W. Olmsted San Diego Author

Diane M. Saunders Boston Author

William M. Lawson St. Louis Author

Robert W. Stewart St. Louis Author

Jimmy F. Robinson, Jr. Richmond Author

J. Clay Rollins Richmond Author

Blocked: Managing Social Media at Work Under Virginia’s New Privacy Law

With social media pervading all facets of society (no less than 67 percent of Americans are regular users), businesses have long been concerned with their employees’ potentially detrimental social media activities. As these concerns proliferated among Virginia’s business community, many employers saw fit to demand access to their applicants’ and employees’ social media accounts. Privacy activists cried foul and, in response, Virginia joined dozens of other states last month by imposing limits on employer access to such accounts. This new law demands careful response by employers and those advising them.

Jimmy F. Robinson, Jr. Richmond Author

J. Clay Rollins Richmond Author

Blog