Warner Calls Special Session

Lawmakers to Convene Tuesday to Fix Sunday Labor Law Mistake

RICHMOND -- Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) on Thursday called a special session of the General Assembly to unravel legislation that mistakenly granted the state's private employees the right to demand time off on weekends.

In his second such proclamation this year, Warner said he "does hereby summon the members of the Senate and House of Delegates, constituting the General Assembly of Virginia, to meet in special session . . . for the sole purpose of considering legislation to reinstate the exemptions to the day of rest laws."

In March, Warner called a special session after the legislature deadlocked over whether to raise taxes. That session lasted nearly two months.

Tuesday's session is expected to last only a few hours, as lawmakers convene at noon to revoke a law that requires employers to grant non-managerial workers a weekend day off or triple the worker's pay and be subject to fines.

Lawmakers accidentally resurrected the obsolete law during their extended 2004 General Assembly session as they were trying to rid the state code of outdated provisions. In this case, though, they inadvertently removed exemptions to the "day of rest" law for most of the state's businesses.

Warner called the session after his top aides met by telephone with business leaders, who said they were only seeking to put the law back the way it was before July 1.