---
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 SB 759."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 1320"
citation: "Virginia HB 1320 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Marty Martinez"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 34
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2026-01-16"
last_action: "2026-04-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/19c5c4d5-38ae-4c40-964c-925f515ad863"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1320"
source_hash: "4071612c2c3dad55d4b42d937a9123a5ec4b6edd3a01d8b64b59804a9c491fda"
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 1320 (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 SB 759.

## 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/1089504.PDF)
2. **Appropriations Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142533.PDF)
3. **Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1142429.PDF)
4. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1199439.PDF)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute — **5–2** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Commerce and Labor — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Labor and Commerce — **15–7** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting — **5–2** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **61–35** (pass) · lower
- Passage R — **21–19** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations — **8–5** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Appropriations with substitute — **15–7** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Marty Martinez — primary (person)
- Adam P. Ebbin — cosponsor (person)
- Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker — cosponsor (person)
- Kathy K.L. Tran — cosponsor (person)
- Rae Cousins — cosponsor (person)
- Stacey Annie Carroll — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-16** Presented and ordered printed with emergency clause 26102277D `introduction`
- **2026-01-16** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-27** Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #2 `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-05** Subcommittee recommends reporting and referring to Appropriations (5-Y 2-N)
- **2026-02-10** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1320)
- **2026-02-10** Reported from Labor and Commerce and referred to Appropriations (15-Y 7-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-11** Assigned HAPP sub: Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-11** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 2-N) `substitution`
- **2026-02-11** House subcommittee offered
- **2026-02-11** Committee substitute printed 26107582D-H1 `substitution`
- **2026-02-11** Reported from Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 7-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-12** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1320)
- **2026-02-13** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-16** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-16** committee substitute agreed to `substitution`
- **2026-02-16** Engrossed by House - committee substitute `substitution`
- **2026-02-17** Read third time and passed House (62-Y 35-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-18** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- **2026-02-18** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-02** Reported from Commerce and Labor and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-03** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 5-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-03** Rules suspended
- **2026-03-03** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-03-03** Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
- **2026-03-04** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-04** Passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-30** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-30** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1320ER) `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`
- **2026-04-01** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1320)
- **2026-04-13** Approved by Governor-Chapter 774 (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/19c5c4d5-38ae-4c40-964c-925f515ad863`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).