---
type: "Bill"
title: "Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount."
description: "Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount. Provides that, for unemployment compensation claims effective on or after July 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly benefit amount shall be $48 higher than the current weekly benefit amount, as denoted in the table in the printed bill. This bill is identical to HB 1320."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 759"
citation: "Virginia SB 759 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Adam P. Ebbin"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 31
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2026-01-19"
last_action: "2026-04-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/61e33ee3-adad-4994-839d-013c3a2613b2"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB759"
source_hash: "961fbef0c80eacdf20a0705080e7ada88c3b627b75c5b6097932e0fd3d9dd6f6"
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 759 (2026) — Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount.

Unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amount. Provides that, for unemployment compensation claims effective on or after July 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly benefit amount shall be $48 higher than the current weekly benefit amount, as denoted in the table in the printed bill. This bill is identical to HB 1320.

## Version chain

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

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1092833.PDF)
2. **Finance and Appropriations Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1146801.PDF)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213247.PDF)

## Votes

- Reported from Commerce and Labor — **12–1** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Appropriations — **15–7** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- H VOTE: — **64–35** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Labor and Commerce — **15–6** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage R — **39–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Adam P. Ebbin — primary (person)
- Angelia Williams Graves — cosponsor (person)
- Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker — cosponsor (person)
- Kannan Srinivasan — cosponsor (person)
- Marty Martinez — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-19** Presented and ordered printed 26103436D `introduction`
- **2026-01-19** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-02** Reported from Commerce and Labor and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (12-Y 1-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-10** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB759)
- **2026-02-11** Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-12** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-12** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-02-12** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-02-13** Committee substitute printed 26107583D-S1 `substitution`
- **2026-02-13** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-13** Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to
- **2026-02-13** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote) `substitution`
- **2026-02-13** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB759)
- **2026-02-16** Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-20** Placed on Calendar
- **2026-02-20** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-20** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-24** Reported from Labor and Commerce and referred to Appropriations (15-Y 6-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-25** Assigned HAPP sub: Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-27** Reported from Appropriations (15-Y 7-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-03** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-04** Passed House (64-Y 35-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-30** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-30** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB759ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-30** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-31** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-31** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-31** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-06** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB759)
- **2026-04-13** Approved by Governor-Chapter 775 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/61e33ee3-adad-4994-839d-013c3a2613b2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).