2026 SESSION

HOUSE SUBSTITUTE

26107582D

HOUSE BILL NO. 1320

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the House Committee on Appropriations

on February 11, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute—Delegate Martinez)

A BILL to amend and reenact § 60.2-602 of the Code of Virginia, relating to unemployment benefits; increase weekly benefit amounts.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 60.2-602 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 60.2-602. Weekly benefit amount.

A. Beginning July 6, 2008, for claims effective on or after July 6, 2008, but before July 6, 2014, an eligible individual's weekly "benefit amount" shall be the amount appearing in Column B in the "Benefit Table" in this section subsection on the line on which in Column A of such table, there appears the total wages for insured work paid to such individual in the two quarters of his base period in which such total wages were highest.

Benefit Table Division C Duration of Benefits beginning July 6, 2008, but before July 6, 2014

SEE PRINTED BILL FOR TABLES

B. Beginning July 6, 2014, for claims effective on or after July 6, 2014, but before January 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly "benefit amount" shall be the amount appearing in Column B in the "Benefit Table" in this section subsection on the line on which in Column A of such table, there appears the total wages for insured work paid to such individual in the two quarters of his base period in which such total wages were highest.

Benefit Table Division C Duration of Benefits beginning July 6, 2014, but before January 1, 2026

SEE PRINTED BILL FOR TABLES

C. Beginning January 1, 2026, for claims effective on or after January 1, 2026, but before July 1, 2026, an eligible individual's weekly "benefit amount" shall be the amount appearing in Column B in the "Benefit Table" in this section subsection on the line on which in Column A of such table, there appears the total wages for insured work paid to such individual in the two quarters of his base period in which such total wages were highest.

Benefit Table Division C Duration of Benefits beginning January 1, 2026, but before July 1, 2026

SEE PRINTED BILL FOR TABLES

D. Beginning on July 1, 2026, for claims effective on or after July 1, 2026: an eligible individual's weekly "benefit amount" shall be the amount appearing in Column B in the "Benefit Table" in this subsection on the line on which in Column A of such table, there appears the total wages for insured work paid to such individual in the two quarters of his base period in which such total wages were highest.

Benefit Table Division C Weekly Benefit Amounts beginning on July 1, 2026

SEE PRINTED BILL FOR TABLES

2. That the provisions of this act enhance the benefits payable to an individual pursuant to Title 60.2 of the Code of Virginia. Pursuant to § 30-19.03:1.2 of the Code of Virginia, the Virginia Employment Commission, in consultation with the Department of Planning and Budget, estimates that over the ensuing eight years (i) the provisions of this act are projected to reduce the solvency level of the Unemployment Trust Fund by an average of 7.43 percent in each of the eight years and (ii) the projected average annual increase in state unemployment tax liability of employers on a per-employee basis that would result from the provisions of this act is indeterminate.