---
type: "Bill"
title: "Domestic relations cases; invocation of constitutional rights, adverse inference."
description: "Invocation of constitutional rights in domestic relations cases; adverse inference. Allows the trier of fact in a civil domestic relations proceeding to draw an adverse inference if a party or witness in such a proceeding refuses to answer a question regarding adultery on the grounds that such testimony might be self-incriminating."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 433"
citation: "Virginia SB 433 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Scott A. Surovell"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 42
vote_count: 11
first_action: "2020-01-07"
last_action: "2020-04-10"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9c57b678-7c32-4482-ba75-782e5de2ccc6"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB433"
source_hash: "0d3e0b42e07b1461b7dc2a6e2614d50f66084f4cdc1c8959d43a2545f45b7283"
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 SB 433 (2020) — Domestic relations cases; invocation of constitutional rights, adverse inference.

Invocation of constitutional rights in domestic relations cases; adverse inference. Allows the trier of fact in a civil domestic relations proceeding to draw an adverse inference if a party or witness in such a proceeding refuses to answer a question regarding adultery on the grounds that such testimony might be self-incriminating.

## Version chain

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

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1062)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP1062)
2. **Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB433ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB433ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB433H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB433H1)
4. **Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB433S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB433)
5. **Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB433S1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+SB433S1)

## Votes

- Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (21-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N) — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- House substitute rejected by Senate (6-Y 34-N) — **6–34** (fail) · upper
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N) — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (92-Y 0-N) — **91–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Judiciary with substitute (8-Y 5-N) — **8–5** (pass) · upper
- Senate acceded to request (39-Y 1-N) — **39–1** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 0-N) — **7–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Scott A. Surovell — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-07** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20100956D `introduction`
- **2020-01-07** Referred to Committee on the Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-08** Moved from Courts of Justice to Judiciary due to a change of the committee name
- **2020-02-10** Committee substitute printed 20106931D-S1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-10** Reported from Judiciary with substitute (8-Y 5-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-11** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-11** Reading of substitute waived
- **2020-02-11** Committee substitute agreed to 20106931D-S1
- **2020-02-11** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB433S1
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-11** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-14** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-14** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-14** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-21** Assigned Courts sub: Civil `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-24** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-28** Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-28** Committee substitute printed 20109024D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-03-03** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-04** Committee substitute agreed to 20109024D-H1
- **2020-03-04** Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB433H1
- **2020-03-04** Passed House with substitute BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-03-04** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (98-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-05** House substitute rejected by Senate (6-Y 34-N)
- **2020-03-05** House insisted on substitute
- **2020-03-05** House requested conference committee
- **2020-03-05** Senate acceded to request (39-Y 1-N)
- **2020-03-05** Conferees appointed by Senate
- **2020-03-05** Conferees appointed by House
- **2020-03-07** Amended by conference committee
- **2020-03-07** Conference report agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-08** Passed by temporarily
- **2020-03-08** Conference report agreed to by House (92-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-08** VOTE: Adoption (92-Y 0-N)
- **2020-03-18** Enrolled
- **2020-03-18** Signed by President
- **2020-03-19** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-20** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 20, 2020
- **2020-03-20** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-10** Approved by Governor-Chapter 1062 (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/9c57b678-7c32-4482-ba75-782e5de2ccc6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).