Legislative Scoop: Key Employment Law Updates from Virginia, Wisconsin, and New York

Each month, GovDocs’ Employment Law & Compliance Team provides the scoop on key bills making their way through the legislative process. Below are three state bills that could impact hiring practices, if enacted, in Virginia, New York, and Wisconsin.  

Virginia SB215

On March 2nd, 2026, the state of Virginia passed SB215 in both the House and Senate, officially sending it to the governor’s desk. This bill is highly likely to become law and includes several provisions relating to pay transparency that employers need to be aware of. The entirety of Section B will have the greatest impact on employers, as it will ban salary inquiries of applicants and require a salary range for all internal and external applicants. Voluntary disclosure of one’s salary does not violate this bill. The proposed legislation also includes fines for violators ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, plus attorney’s fees. 

Wisconsin SB431

The second hiring law explored this month is from Wisconsin, with SB431. This piece of pending legislation adds an exception to the increasingly popular “ban the box” legislation, barring employers from excluding applicants because of a criminal record. The Wisconsin law is no different, but it does allow exceptions if the charge is related to regular job duties. The original law only took into consideration criminal cases, and not civil. This bill would remove the “criminal” wording in the current law, making it so criminal and civil charges can be taken into consideration by the employer when making hiring decisions. A potential application of this new law would allow employers not to hire a cashier because they committed petty theft. Under current Wisconsin law, they would be in violation under the law if they did not hire an employee because of this. 

New York SB8789

The last stop in this month’s journey in the latest hiring laws is New York. There, SB 8789 has been passed by both chambers and heading to the governor’s office. SB 8789 amended an earlier section of code that was recently passed, stating that employers are barred from asking for or using an applicant’s credit score when making employment decisions. This bill clarifies the definition of ’employer’ and adds an exception for state agencies.