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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>83210</law_id><section_number>40.1-29.1</section_number><catch_line>Investigations of employers for nonpayment of wages</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="40.1">Labor and Employment</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="3">Protection of Employees</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Pay; Assignment of Wages; Sale of Merchandise to Employees</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>If in the course of an investigation of a complaint of an <span class="dictionary">employer</span>&#x2019;s failure or refusal to pay wages in accordance with the requirements of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Time and medium of payment; withholding wages; written statement of earnings; agreement for forfeiture of wages; proceedings to enforce compliance; penalties" href="/40.1-29/">40.1-29</a>, the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> acquires information creating a reasonable belief that other <span class="dictionary">employees</span> of the same <span class="dictionary">employer</span> may not have been paid wages in accordance with such requirements, the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> shall have the authority to investigate whether the <span class="dictionary">employer</span> has failed or refused to make any required payment of wages to other <span class="dictionary">employees</span> of the <span class="dictionary">employer</span> as required by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Time and medium of payment; withholding wages; written statement of earnings; agreement for forfeiture of wages; proceedings to enforce compliance; penalties" href="/40.1-29/">40.1-29</a>. If the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> finds in the course of such investigation that the <span class="dictionary">employer</span> has violated a provision of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Time and medium of payment; withholding wages; written statement of earnings; agreement for forfeiture of wages; proceedings to enforce compliance; penalties" href="/40.1-29/">40.1-29</a>, the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> may institute proceedings on behalf of any <span class="dictionary">employee</span> against his <span class="dictionary">employer</span>. Such proceedings shall be undertaken in accordance with the provisions of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Time and medium of payment; withholding wages; written statement of earnings; agreement for forfeiture of wages; proceedings to enforce compliance; penalties" href="/40.1-29/">40.1-29</a>, except that the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> shall not require a written complaint of the violation or the written and signed consent of any <span class="dictionary">employee</span> as a condition of instituting such proceedings.</p></section></text><history>2020, cc. 205, 206; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 445; 2022, cc. 461, 462.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
