---
type: "Bill"
title: "Unemployment compensation; leaving employment to follow military spouse."
description: "Unemployment compensation; leaving employmentto follow military spouse. Repeals the sunset provision on thecurrent statutory provision that provides that good cause for leaving employment exists if an employee voluntarily leaves a job to accompanythe employee's spouse, who is on active duty in the military or navalservices of the United States, to a new military-related assignmentestablished pursuant to a permanent change of duty order from whichthe employee's place of employment is not reasonably accessible.This provision will presently expire on December 31, 2020."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 143"
citation: "Virginia HB 143 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["R. Lee Ware"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 21
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2019-12-18"
last_action: "2020-03-10"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c047999f-f32e-4362-a1e7-4b38a642dea1"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB143"
source_hash: "3dcfc39b4522765ebb8d4a23426121ff580aac6a006138e79a3f56164b01cda8"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 143 (2020) — Unemployment compensation; leaving employment to follow military spouse.

Unemployment compensation; leaving employmentto follow military spouse. Repeals the sunset provision on thecurrent statutory provision that provides that good cause for leaving employment exists if an employee voluntarily leaves a job to accompanythe employee's spouse, who is on active duty in the military or navalservices of the United States, to a new military-related assignmentestablished pursuant to a permanent change of duty order from whichthe employee's place of employment is not reasonably accessible.This provision will presently expire on December 31, 2020.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0261)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0261)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB143ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB143ER)
3. **Impact statement from DPB (HB143)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB143)

## Votes

- Reported from Labor and Commerce (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- R. Lee Ware — primary (person)
- John J. McGuire, III — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-12-18** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20100239D `introduction`
- **2019-12-18** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-16** Impact statement from DPB (HB143)
- **2020-01-16** Reported from Labor and Commerce (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-20** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-01-21** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2020-01-22** Read third time and passed House (100-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-01-22** VOTE: Passage (100-Y 0-N)
- **2020-01-23** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-01-23** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-17** Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-19** Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-20** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-20** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-25** Enrolled
- **2020-02-25** Impact statement from DPB (HB143ER)
- **2020-02-25** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-02-26** Signed by President
- **2020-03-03** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 3, 2020
- **2020-03-03** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 10, 2020
- **2020-03-10** Approved by Governor-Chapter 261 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c047999f-f32e-4362-a1e7-4b38a642dea1`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).