Essential workers; hazard pay, employer to provide personal protective equipment, civil penalty. (HB2015)

Introduced By

Del. Hala Ayala (D-Woodbridge) with support from co-patrons Del. Candi King (D-Woodbridge), Del. Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church), and Del. Martha Mugler (D-Hampton

Description

Essential workers; hazard pay; personal protective equipment; civil penalty. Requires, that following the declaration by the Governor of a state of emergency that includes or is followed by any additional executive order in furtherance of such declaration that includes a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order, employers shall (i) compensate each of their essential workers at a rate not less than one and one-half times the essential worker's regular rate of pay for any hours worked during the closure order and (ii) provide their essential workers with personal protective equipment related to the state of emergency and recommended for the relevant work site or job task by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, the State Department of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The bill defines "essential worker" as an individual employed as a health care provider, home care provider, or airport worker or by an essential retail business, as specified in the bill. The bill subjects violators to the same civil penalties, and provides the same cause of action for an employer's failure to pay the required hazard pay, as are currently imposed for failing to pay wages generally. Read the Bill »

Outcome

History