Bill
Bill > SB378
summary
Introduced
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
In Committee
03/04/2026
03/04/2026
Crossed Over
03/14/2026
03/14/2026
Passed
03/30/2026
03/30/2026
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Regular Session
Bill Summary
Collective bargaining by public employees; individual home care providers; Virginia Home Care Council established; Public Employee Relations Board established; exclusive bargaining representatives. Repeals the existing prohibition on collective bargaining by public employees. The bill creates the Public Employee Relations Board, which shall determine appropriate bargaining units and provide for certification and decertification elections for exclusive bargaining representatives of state employees and local government employees. The bill requires public employers and employee organizations that are exclusive bargaining representatives to meet at reasonable times to negotiate in good faith with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. The bill establishes the Virginia Home Care Council within the Department of Medical Assistance Services to promote the stability of the individual provider workforce in the Commonwealth and tasks the Council with serving as the public employer of individual providers, as defined in the bill, for purposes of collective bargaining pursuant to the bill's provisions. The bill repeals a provision that declares that in any procedure providing for the designation, selection, or authorization of a labor organization to represent employees the right of an individual employee to vote by secret ballot is a fundamental right that shall be guaranteed from infringement. The bill directs the Department of Labor and Industry to promulgate any regulations necessary to effectuate the bill's provisions by July 1, 2028, and provides that upon the establishment of the Public Employee Relations Board, such regulations shall be transferred to the Board. The bill provides that until such regulations are adopted, no petitions or elections shall take place pursuant to the bill's provisions except pursuant to an ordinance or resolution adopted under current law. This bill is identical to HB 1263.
AI Summary
This bill repeals the existing prohibition on public employees engaging in collective bargaining, establishing a framework for public sector unions to negotiate with employers over wages, hours, and other terms of employment. It creates the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) to oversee this process, including determining appropriate bargaining units and conducting elections for exclusive bargaining representatives, which are organizations certified to represent employees. The bill also establishes the Virginia Home Care Council to act as the public employer for individual home care providers, allowing them to collectively bargain for their working conditions, though participants' rights to hire and fire these providers remain unaffected. The bill outlines prohibited practices for both public employers and employee organizations, details procedures for negotiations, impasse resolution, and grievance handling, and specifies that collective bargaining for local government employees will generally begin on January 1, 2030, with some exceptions and provisions for local ordinances to continue existing practices.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance, Business and Industry
Sponsors (3)
Last Action
Passed by for the day (21-Y 18-N 0-A) (on 04/22/2026)
Official Document
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