Each year, the Virginia General Assembly considers thousands of bills that have the potential to impact Virginia’s hospitality and tourism industries. From workforce and labor policies to alcohol regulations and consumer protections, the decisions made in Richmond directly affect the ability of restaurants, hotels, attractions, destination organizations, and tourism businesses across the Commonwealth to operate, grow, and thrive.
Throughout the 2026 legislative session, the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association (VRLTA) remained actively engaged on behalf of the industry—working alongside lawmakers, coalition partners, and our members to advocate for practical policies that support Virginia’s hospitality economy.
The 2026 session brought both significant challenges and meaningful opportunities for the industry. Below is a look at some of the key legislative accomplishments and advocacy efforts from the 2026 General Assembly session:
HB962 – Predictive Scheduling: VRLTA worked with other affected industries to defeat an attempt to mandate predictive scheduling and implement a host of punishments and mandates surrounding employee scheduling
HB975 – MBAR Reform: VRLTA worked with a spectrum of stakeholders to reform Virginia’s food-to-beverage ratio law, creating a tiered system that gives restaurants flexibility and protects consumer choice
SB644/HB930 – Retaliatory Actions: VRLTA worked alongside the broader business community to defeat an attempt to expand Virginia’s whistleblower statute to an outlier in the nation, effectively ending at-will employment
HB695 – Sodium Labeling: VRLTA defeated an attempt to institute an unworkable per-item sodium labeling mandate for restaurant menus
SB444/HB662 – Gift Card Fraud: VRLTA worked with the Virginia Retail Federation and the Virginia Food Industry Association to pass a bill that creates a specific crime and penalty for gift card fraud, theft, and forgery, protecting businesses and consumers
SB314/HB524 – TID Flexibility Legislation: VRLTA worked with Arlington County to pave the way for a smoother implementation process for Tourism Improvement Districts in localities whose destination marketing organizations are part of the government
HB707 – Local Government DMO Websites: VRLTA worked to protect DMO members and their role as customer-facing marketing operations from a one-size-fits-all government domain-name requirement