March 31, 2026
Contact: Debra Freeman, [email protected], 757-452-1143
New Virginia Majority Statement on 2026 Legislative Session
With the election of the Democratic trifecta in the House of Delegates, Senate, and in the executive branch in November 2025, our political, organizing, and policy teams worked closely with legislators to make real strides towards improving the lives of Virginia families and workers, protecting our democracy by making sure our elections are secure, and passing a slate of pro-immigrant bills that reshapes how localities can engage with ICE during this legislative session.
New Virginia Majority works to ensure that the voices, demands, and experiences of working-class people are reflected in the policies that shape our state. During this year’s legislative session, we partnered with community leaders, coalition partners, and legislators to advance policies that strengthen families, support public systems, and expand opportunity for all Virginians. Our organization is member driven, and our members took an active role in advocating for bills by testifying during committee hearings, writing op-eds in local newspapers, and encouraging legislators to vote on bills that were crucial to their communities.
Several bills that directly impact Virginia workers that passed in the legislature includes a minimum wage increase to $13.50 in 2027 and to $15 by 2028. As we look ahead, we will continue to work with our partners to fight for an increased minimum wage that truly addresses the cost of living in the state, particularly in northern Virginia, where the cost of living far outpaces the now required minimum wage.
Additionally, bills that allow for collective bargaining for public employees and for gig worker pay transparency are wins, and perhaps most significantly, the legislature passed a bill for paid sick leave, which would require employers to provide workers with paid time off, and a statewide paid family and medical leave program. Paid family and medical leave has been a priority since 2019, and NVM along with our allies are encouraged to see this law take effect.
There were significant tenant protection bills that passed, such as increasing eviction notices from five days to 14 days, increased manufactured home protections that give residents a right of first refusal when the park owner decides to sell the property, and allowing local governments to take civil action against negligent landlords for uninhabitable conditions.
Immigrant justice bills were also a priority this year for our members, and because of the collective work of our members and staff, several bills passed that make Virginia a strong barrier against ICE overreach and will also help communities have more freedom from fear and hate. Bills limiting local police from helping with federal immigration enforcement unless there’s a valid court order or it’s required by law, requiring police officers to show their faces and visible ID while on duty, allowing limited-duration driver’s licenses and privilege cards to be valid as long as driver licenses, and limiting when and how the Virginia National Guard can coordinate with the federal government and preventing out-of-state militias from operating in Virginia without the governor’s approval are all steps towards helping to build trust and protecting immigrant communities.
Finally, there were major democracy protections that were put in place for Virginians, including strengthening the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which protects against voter suppression, Virginia joining the National Popular Vote Compact, which ensures the winner of the national popular vote wins the presidency without a constitutional amendment, and a package of bills that prevent questionable voter purges. Notably, bills ensuring returning citizens automatically receive their voting rights after release passed both chambers, and now goes to the ballot for voters to decide in November 2026. NVM has led the charge on this issue for many years, and we are closer than ever to this becoming reality.
Virginians are looking for real change from legislators, and this year’s General Assembly shows real progress. Much work remains to be done in areas where we have made incremental progress, however major pieces of legislation, such as better worker protections including paid sick leave, paid family and medical leave, and allowing 600,000 Virginians to join a union, along with a package of bills that protects immigrants and ensures safer communities are signs that Virginia is serious about being a place where people can thrive.
NVM is committed to fighting for working class communities of color, and our work is not only resonating, but is groundbreaking when it comes to advocacy, particularly in the greater South. Our fight is not over, and we will continue to work towards real change that can make a major difference in the lives of everyday Virginians.
For a complete list of bills that we worked on during the 2026 legislative session, click here.
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New Virginia Majority builds power in working-class communities of color, in immigrant communities, among LGBTQ people, women, youth, and progressives across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic and environmentally sustainable. For more information, visit our website.