HB930 • 2026

Protection of employees; retaliatory action against employee prohibited.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 40.1-27.3 of the Code of Virginia, relating to protection of employees; retaliatory action prohibited.</p>

Labor

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Simon
Last action: 2026-03-14
Official status: Failed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on enforcement mechanisms or consequences for employers who violate the law.

Protection for Workers Who Report Violations

This law stops employers from punishing workers who report violations of laws or regulations to their bosses, other employees, or government officials in good faith.

What This Bill Does

Stops employers from taking actions against workers because they reported a violation in good faith.
Forbids employers from having policies that stop workers from telling the public about possible illegal activities.
Prevents employers from disciplining workers for reporting violations to their employer, government bodies, or the public.

Who It Names or Affects

Workers who report possible illegal activities in good faith.
Employers who might want to punish workers for reporting violations.

Terms To Know

Retaliatory action: When someone punishes another person because they did something that the punisher doesn't like, such as reporting a violation.
Good faith: Acting honestly and with sincere intentions without trying to harm others or gain an unfair advantage.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if employers still punish workers for reporting violations.
It is unclear how this law will be enforced in practice.
The exact effective date of the bill has not been determined yet.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB930AC

2026-03-14 • Conference

Conference Report

Plain English: The amendment recommends rejecting a previous Senate proposal and accepting a new substitute amendment to address employee protection issues.

Rejects the Senate's original proposed changes to House Bill No. 930.
Accepts a new substitute amendment (26110037D) to resolve disagreements between the House and Senate.

The specific details of the new substitute amendment are not provided in the given text, so exact changes cannot be described.

HB930H2

2026-03-14 • Conference

Conference Report Substitute

Plain English: The amendment updates Virginia's labor laws by clarifying protections for employees who report violations of federal or state laws and regulations to their employers or government bodies.

Clarifies that an employee can report a violation in good faith to a supervisor, manager, officer, another employee (if written), or any governmental body or law-enforcement official.
Specifies that the employer cannot take retaliatory actions if an employee refuses to perform an illegal act or informs them of refusal due to legal violations.
Adds provisions preventing employers from including policies in handbooks or contracts that restrict employees' rights to disclose possible illegal activities.

The amendment text is complex and includes many specific legal terms, which may require further interpretation by legal experts.

Bill History

2026-03-14 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-14 House
Conference report agreed to by House (62-Y 35-N 0-A)
2026-03-14 House
No further action taken
2026-03-14 House
Failed to Pass from conference
2026-03-14 House
Failed to Pass from conference
2026-03-14 Senate
Conference report rejected by Senate (17-Y 22-N 0-A)
2026-03-12 Senate
Senate requested conference committee
2026-03-12 Senate
Senate Conferees: Locke, Surovell, McDougle
2026-03-12 Senate
Conferees appointed by Senate
2026-03-12 Senate
Senate insisted on substitute
2026-03-12 Senate
Senate insisted on substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-12 House
House acceded to request
2026-03-12 House
Conferees appointed by House
2026-03-12 House
House Conferees: Simon, Delaney, Garrett
2026-03-11 House
Senate substitute rejected by House (1-Y 98-N 0-A)
2026-03-10 Senate
Read third time
2026-03-10 Senate
Read third time
2026-03-10 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute
2026-03-10 Commerce and Labor
Commerce and Labor Substitute agreed to
2026-03-10 Senate
Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-03-09 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-03-09 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-03-09 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-09 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-03-06 Finance and Appropriations
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N)
2026-03-06 Commerce and Labor
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB930)
2026-03-03 Commerce and Labor
Committee substitute printed 26108985D-S1
2026-03-02 Commerce and Labor
Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 6-N)
2026-02-17 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-17 Commerce and Labor
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
2026-02-16 House
Read third time and passed House (63-Y 35-N 0-A)
2026-02-13 House
Read second time
2026-02-13 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-02-13 House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-02-12 House
Read first time
2026-02-12 Labor and Commerce
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB930)
2026-02-10 House
Incorporates HB722 (Leftwich)
2026-02-10 Labor and Commerce
Reported from Labor and Commerce with substitute (15-Y 7-N)
2026-02-10 House
Incorporates HB1216 (Delaney)
2026-02-10 Labor and Commerce
Committee substitute printed 26107257D-H1
2026-02-05 Subcommittee #2
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 2-N)
2026-02-05 Subcommittee #2
House subcommittee offered
2026-01-30 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB930)
2026-01-22 Subcommittee #2
Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #2
2026-01-13 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105172D
2026-01-13 Labor and Commerce
Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce

Official Summary Text

Protection of employees; retaliatory action against employee prohibited.
Prohibits an employer from taking certain retaliatory actions against an employee because the employee or a person acting on the employee's behalf reports any information or allegation in good faith that, if true, amounts to a violation of any federal or state law or regulation to a supervisor, manager, officer, or other employee, or to any governmental body or law-enforcement official, including a report made in the ordinary course of the employee's employment, regardless of whether such report refers to a particular law or regulation. The bill prohibits an employer from (i) taking any action or including any policy in an employee handbook, employment contract, or separation agreement that impedes an employee from disclosing possible or actual illegal activity to the public, a governmental body, or his employer or (ii) taking any disciplinary action in retaliation against an employee for reporting to the public, a governmental body, or his employer any possible or actual violation of any federal or state law or regulation. This bill incorporates HB 722 and HB 1216.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT

We, the conferees, appointed by the respective bodies to consider and report upon the disagreeing vote on
House Bill No. 930
, report as follows:

A. We recommend that the Senate Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26108985D) be rejected.

B. We recommend that the attached Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26110037D) be accepted to resolve the matter under disagreement.

Respectfully submitted,

Delegate Marcus B. Simon (signed)

Delegate Karrie K. Delaney (signed)

Delegate Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. (not signed)

Conferees on the part of the House

Senator Mamie E. Locke (signed)

Senator Scott A. Surovell (signed)

Senator Ryan T. McDougle (not signed)

Conferees on the part of the Senate