Statement of Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families
HB1207/SB2 would create a paid family and medical leave law in Virginia, giving workers up to 12 weeks of paid time off to bond with their child, care for a family member or themselves when they have a serious illness, seek services or care related to domestic violence, and support loved ones in the military. This is the third time in three years that the law has passed the state legislature. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a champion of paid leave, is expected to sign the bill into law.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 13, 2026 – “The National Partnership for Women & Families is thrilled to congratulate Virginia on passing a paid family and medical leave law, which will provide 3.2 million Virginians with access to paid time off to take care of themselves or their loved ones. With this milestone, Virginia joins Maryland and Washington, D.C. in making paid leave accessible to workers throughout the Washington metropolitan area and beyond. Virginia becomes the 15th state, including D.C., to pass a paid family and medical leave law. As a result, 50 million workers nationwide will soon be covered by state family and medical leave programs.
“Getting this law passed took the tireless work of many – determined state lawmakers, advocates working at the national and state level out front and behind the scenes, and all those on the ground in Virginia, who fought for this bill with passion, persistence and purpose for years. We expect Governor Spanberger to sign the bill into law in the near future and applaud her longtime leadership in championing this critical issue. At the National Partnership, we know that strong workplace policies that help workers take time off for caregiving without sacrificing their income are essential to the economic stability of families and maximizing women’s full economic participation. Our team looks forward to doing whatever we can to support the Governor and her administration as they implement this new program to support Virginia’s businesses and to help ensure that Virginia’s women and working families are able to manage their own health while better balancing their personal and professional responsibilities.
“It has been a historic few months in Virginia, beginning with the election of Governor Spanberger as the first woman to ever lead the state. Now, Virginia becomes the first Southern state to enact paid family and medical leave for workers in both the public and private sectors. This bill will forever change the lives of millions of Virginians. Moving forward, working families across the state will have the ability to take time off work to care for the people they love without having to worry about missing a paycheck or losing their job.
“We deeply appreciate every person who helped us arrive at this moment, and we are excited to witness how this new bill will improve the lives of Virginia’s business owners, workers and families.”
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