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Three bills advancing through Virginia’s General Assembly would update the state’s unemployment system, raise weekly benefits and allow recipients to keep more income from part-time work.

The measures are among 22 bills sponsored by state Sen. Adam Ebbin that passed the Senate after the legislative session’s halfway point. Sixteen received bipartisan support and were under consideration in the House of Delegates.

The proposals come as many Virginians face unstable employment and rising costs for groceries, rent and other necessities. Gig workers often lack traditional job benefits, while Northern Virginia families have also confronted uncertainty and federal workforce cuts under President Donald Trump.

SB 878 would combine the work of the Commission on Unemployment and the Unemployment Insurance Subcommittee to reduce duplication. Representatives from labor and management would retain a role in monitoring and evaluating Virginia’s unemployment system.

SB 1056 would increase weekly unemployment insurance payments by $100. Virginia has not raised its weekly benefit amounts since 2012 and, unlike 36 other states, does not adjust them using a statewide metric. Fewer than 14 out of every 100 unemployed Virginia workers receive unemployment insurance benefits.

SB 1057 would let eligible recipients deduct up to $100 in weekly part-time earnings from their benefits, doubling the current $50 allowance. The change is intended to give claimants a stronger incentive to accept part-time work that could lead to full-time employment.

Virginia last revised that income allowance in 2005, when the state’s minimum wage was $5.15 an hour. By 2025, it had risen to $12.41, while the unemployment provision remained unchanged.

Ebbin also joined Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, House Speaker Don Scott and other lawmakers in calling on Gov. Glenn Youngkin to respond to threats facing Virginia’s 144,483 federal workers.

He cited a constituent who works as a mental health professional and reported an increase in mental health conditions among clients dealing with uncertainty surrounding Trump administration actions and policies, including efforts affecting the federal workforce and USAID.