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Every week I dig through what’s actually changing in menopause and perimenopause workplace law, because a bill working its way through committee somewhere doesn’t help you get through a rage spiral at your desk today. This roundup covers the last few weeks: a combined bill moving in Massachusetts, a governor’s veto with a twist in Virginia, a first of its kind executive order in Washington state, and a tribunal ruling and ongoing policy rollout in the UK.

The US: state legislatures keep moving, unevenly

Bloomberg Government counted at least 16 menopause related bills introduced across US states since the start of 2026, up from just three in 2025. That volume is the headline. What actually gets signed is a different story, as the three items below show.

• Massachusetts (H.2499): On June 30, state lawmakers advanced a combined bill from Reps. Marjorie Decker and Joan Meschino that would create a 19 member commission to study perimenopause and menopause in the workforce, direct the Department of Public Health to build workplace education materials, and extend insurance coverage for hormonal and non-hormonal therapies to state employees. It’s a study and coverage bill more than a hard accommodations mandate, but it keeps Massachusetts in the conversation alongside New York and Pennsylvania, where similar bills are pending. Source
• Virginia (HB 1173 / SB 258): Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s successor, Gov. Abigail Spanberger, didn’t sign the bill that would have added perimenopause and menopause as protected categories under the Virginia Human Rights Act. Instead she sent back a substitute that strips that language and directs the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to study the issue instead, while separately signing a bill requiring state regulated health plans to cover menopause related treatment. Reasonable people can read that as either a delay tactic or a way to build a stronger case for next session. Either way, Virginia workers don’t get a new protected category yet. Source
• Washington (Executive Order 26-01): On June 1, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order, the first of its kind from a US governor, directing the Washington State Women’s Commission to work with state agencies on menopause related workplace accommodations (think telework, flexible dress codes, temperature control) and to build guidance that private employers can borrow too. It’s not a law, and it doesn’t bind private employers, but it’s the clearest statement yet from a sitting governor that this belongs in workplace policy, not just healthcare policy. Source

The UK: a tribunal reminder, and a policy machine that keeps rolling

Two things happened here worth flagging, one that shows what happens when employers get it wrong, and one that’s slowly turning “get it right” into a legal obligation.

• Employment tribunal ruling: A Band 6 nurse was awarded £18,000 after a tribunal found she was unfairly dismissed following sex discrimination connected to menopause and gynaecological health issues, in a judgment reported around June 30. These awards keep landing, and they keep being the clearest signal to UK employers that “menopause isn’t a protected characteristic on its own” doesn’t mean menopause related treatment is risk free under existing sex and age discrimination law. Source
• Employment Rights Act menopause action plans: Large UK employers (250+ staff) have been able to voluntarily publish gender pay gap and menopause action plans since April 2026, and that requirement becomes mandatory from spring 2027. Each plan needs at least one concrete menopause related measure, not just a policy statement, and has to account for intersectional workforce needs. It’s a slow burn rollout, but it’s the difference between “we have a menopause policy” and “we have to prove we’re doing something.” Source

A policy on paper doesn’t stop a hot flash mid-meeting, and it definitely doesn’t catch you at 2am when you’re wide awake and furious for no reason you can name.

Why we’re tracking this

I read all of this every week because it matters, and because none of it is fast enough for the person going through it right now. A Massachusetts commission that reports back in 2027, a Virginia study, a UK action plan that becomes mandatory next spring: all worthwhile, all built on a timeline that doesn’t match what perimenopause actually feels like, which is immediate, physical, and often alone. That gap is exactly why we’re building Rage Release. Law and policy can (and should) change what employers and healthcare systems owe you. But you also need something private, judgment free, and available right now, in the moment a symptom or a wave of rage actually hits, not after it works its way through committee.

Ellie

Founder, Wild Operations. Building Rage Release.