Virginia Introduces New 2026 Laws, Reminding Residents Government Can, In Fact, Do Things

RICHMOND — A wide slate of Virginia laws took effect January 1, 2026, delivering a mix of wage adjustments, consumer protections, health coverage expansions, and new rules governing everything from baby food testing to telemarketing texts.

Among the most immediate changes: Virginia’s minimum wage rose to $12.77/hour, a figure tied to inflation. While supporters called the increase a necessary continuation of the state’s wage schedule, critics noted it remains dramatically outpaced by the real cost of living, creating a familiar compromise in which “progress” is defined as “incremental, technical, and still not enough to pay rent.”

New consumer protection measures include a requirement that companies honor text-message opt-outs for up to 10 years, plus tighter rules around telemarketing call hours, and expanded protections around medical debt collection practices—another gesture aimed at reducing the amount of daily life that is technically legal but spiritually predatory.

In healthcare, insurers must now cover certain breast and prostate cancer screenings without out-of-pocket costs, while hospitals conducting routine urine screenings are required to include fentanyl testing.

The most culturally combustible update, however, may be Virginia’s new restriction on social media use by minors under 16—platforms must default to limiting usage to one hour per day, unless parents provide verifiable consent to change the cap. The law places enforcement responsibility on the Attorney General, not by tracking children directly, but by holding companies liable for compliance failures—an arrangement designed to satisfy both privacy concerns and the state’s long-standing preference for outsourcing difficulty to somebody else.

Additional changes include increases to unemployment benefits, updates to small claims court limits, and policy shifts ranging from a lab-grown meat moratorium to new requirements for AED availability at government sporting facilities.

Observers noted the overall package contains a number of laws that appear to have been feasible for quite some time—raising a lingering question among residents: if all of this was possible, why did it take until 2026 to act like public welfare is a legitimate government activity.