---
type: "Bill"
title: "Minimum wage; pay based on work done."
description: "Minimum wage; pay based on work done. Eliminatesthe exemption to Virginia's minimum wage requirements for personswho normally work and are paid based on the amount of work done."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 78"
citation: "Virginia SB 78 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Janet D. Howell"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 23
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2019-11-25"
last_action: "2020-04-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/252ae29d-035d-4e59-9987-a637758e1739"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB78"
source_hash: "d044dab7dd512707d353808414b7b668541e4829d54d7a6b1a1090a7710d60bf"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 78 (2020) — Minimum wage; pay based on work done.

Minimum wage; pay based on work done. Eliminatesthe exemption to Virginia's minimum wage requirements for personswho normally work and are paid based on the amount of work done.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1146)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP1146)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB78ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB78ER)
3. **Impact statement from DPB (SB78)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB78)

## Votes

- Passed Senate (23-Y 17-N) — **23–17** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (55-Y 45-N) — **54–45** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Labor and Commerce (13-Y 9-N) — **13–9** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Commerce and Labor (12-Y 3-N) — **12–3** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Janet D. Howell — primary (person)
- Jennifer B. Boysko — cosponsor (person)
- Kaye Kory — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-11-25** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20101357D `introduction`
- **2019-11-25** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-16** Impact statement from DPB (SB78)
- **2020-02-09** Reported from Commerce and Labor (12-Y 3-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-10** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-11** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-11** Passed Senate (23-Y 17-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-18** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-18** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-18** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-25** Reported from Labor and Commerce (13-Y 9-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-27** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-28** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-28** Passed House (55-Y 45-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** VOTE: Passage (55-Y 45-N)
- **2020-03-05** Enrolled
- **2020-03-05** Impact statement from DPB (SB78ER)
- **2020-03-06** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-07** Signed by President
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-11** Approved by Governor-Chapter 1146 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/252ae29d-035d-4e59-9987-a637758e1739`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).