Virginia workers, young people and consumers will see several new protections take effect statewide Thursday, Jan. 1. The minimum wage will rise from $12.41 to $12.77 an hour, unemployment benefits will increase by $52 a week and new health care and consumer safeguards aim to reduce costs and limit risks for residents. 

Preventive health care costs will drop as insurers will no longer be allowed to charge extra for breast and prostate cancer screenings. Malcolm’s Law, named for 17-year-old Malcolm Kent who died from an undetected fentanyl overdose, will require hospitals with emergency departments to include fentanyl testing in urine drug screenings. 

New protections have also been approved for children, as Virginia will prohibit the sale of baby food with heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury that exceed limits established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as of 2026. 

Virginia will also limit social media access for children under 16. Platforms will be required to use neutral age screening tools to identify these users and to limit their access to the platform to one hour a day unless they have parental consent extending or reducing time allowed. 

Environmental changes are coming as well, with Virginia’s plastic bag tax taking effect. Retailers will charge a 5-cent fee per bag, with proceeds split between the state’s environmental fund and participating localities to support cleanup efforts and promote reusable alternatives. 

Similar protection restrictions will also go into effect for telemarketers, who will be able to call Virginians only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. unless they have consent, and they must identify themselves in phone and text solicitations. Residents will be able to request solicitations stop either over the phone or by texting “unsubscribe” or “stop” in response, and telemarketers must comply for 10 years. 

Courts will also be required to provide greater clarity for those convicted of traffic infractions or criminal law violations who have to pay fines, as they must provide itemized statements of all related costs and outstanding balances when requested by those convicted.