VirginiaDivorce; adultery, filing, parties living separate and apart, report.
What it does
Divorce; adultery; filing; parties living separate and apart; work group; report. Specifies that a divorce may be decreed on the grounds of adultery, provided that such adultery occurred prior to the final separation of the parties. The bill further allows for a divorce from bed and board to be decreed on the application of either party upon the parties living separate and apart; under current law, a divorce from bed and board may only be decreed for cruelty, reasonable apprehension of bodily hurt, willful desertion, or abandonment.
More detail
The bill specifies that no waiting period is required for the filing for such a divorce, but the decree of such a divorce may only be decreed pursuant to certain requirements otherwise specified in the law. The bill further directs the Virginia Family Law Coalition, in conjunction with the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section, to convene a work group to consider whether to eliminate fault-based grounds for divorce in the Commonwealth and to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees for Courts of Justice no later than December 1, 2026.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Apr 13Approved by Governor Abigail Spanberger-Chapter 918 (effective 7/1/2026)Became Law
- Mar 31Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026To Governor
- Mar 31Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026Minor
- Mar 31Signed by SpeakerMajor
- Mar 30Signed by PresidentMajor
- Mar 30Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB303ER)Major
- Mar 30EnrolledMinor
- Mar 11Senate amendments agreed to by House (64-Y 34-N 0-A)Major
- Vote recorded H VOTE:. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 10Passed Senate with amendments (24-Y 16-N 0-A)Passed Senate
- Vote recorded Passage R. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 10Engrossed by Senate as amended
- Mar 10Courts of Justice Amendments agreed toMajor
- Mar 10Read third timeMinor
- Mar 9Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- Vote recorded Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading). Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 9Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- Mar 9Rules suspended
- Mar 5Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments (12-Y 1-N 1-A)Minor
- Vote recorded Reported from Courts of Justice with amendments. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 5Senate committee offered
- Feb 11Referred to Committee for Courts of JusticeMinor
- Feb 11Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- Feb 10Read third time and passed House (67-Y 31-N 0-A)Passed House
- Vote recorded H VOTE:. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 9Read second time and engrossedMinor
- Feb 6Read first timeMinor
- Feb 4Reported from Courts of Justice (16-Y 6-N)Minor
- Vote recorded Reported from Courts of Justice. Result: pass.Lower
- Jan 28Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N)
- Vote recorded Subcommittee recommends reporting. Result: pass.Lower
- Jan 26Assigned HCJ sub: CivilMinor
- Jan 9Referred to Committee for Courts of JusticeMinor
- Jan 9Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101259DIntroduced