(HB1775)

GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1775, which allows for adultery before the final decree of divorce is issued.

Parties may obtain a divorce if they have lived separate and apart without cohabitation for either six months with a signed separation agreement in place and no children in common, or one year without a separation agreement regardless of parental status.

During this separation period many partners reconcile and go on to celebrate the sacred bond of marriage for the rest of their lives. I find this period to be important.

In the Commonwealth, a divorce from the bond of matrimony may be decreed immediately for adultery. Under current law, adultery during the separation period can confer a divorcing party a right to immediate relief.

During the time a couple is lawfully married, the Commonwealth should take no actions to lessen the legal consequences to a party engaging in adultery. Therefore, I believe the act of adultery during the one-year period of separation should remain a ground for divorce.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.