How does virginia's general assembly work?
The legislature is tasked with considering bills that could become law in the Commonwealth, electing judges to the state’s courts, and approving a budget that will cover the next two years. All of this happens in just 60 days between two chambers.
A bicameral legislature, the General Assembly consists of a lower House of Delegates and an upper Senate. The House of Delegates is made up of 100 legislators who serve two year terms; the most recent House election was held in November, when Republicans won a narrow 52-48 majority. Representing roughly 80,000 citizens, delegates receive a yearly salary of $17,640. Elected by the body, the Speaker of the House presides over the chamber and is tasked with appointing members to committees and assigning introduced bills to the relevant committee.
The General Assembly’s upper body, the Senate of Virginia, consists of 40 legislators. State senators are elected every four years. Unlike the U.S. Senate, state senators are all up for election at the same time. Representing about 200,000 citizens, senators receive a yearly salary of $18,000. The state Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor, who is elected in a statewide election every four years. In November, Virginians elected a new lieutenant governor, Republican Winsome Sears. In the absence of the lieutenant governor, the president pro tempore, who is elected by the body, presides over the Senate. Democrats currently hold a narrow 21-19 majority in the Senate. Senators will next be on the ballot in Virginia in 2023.
Bills can originate in either the House or the Senate. At its inception, a bill is drafted by the Division of Legislative Services, a nonpartisan agency that provides legal and general research to members of the General Assembly. Once drafted, a bill is sponsored by a member who then becomes the bill’s sponsor. The bill is assigned to a committee, where members discuss the bill, ask questions of the sponsor and experts, and consider comments from the public. At this point, the committee can act on the bill in several ways, but this is where the bill will generally either die or move onto the floor of the House or Senate.
Now on the chamber floor, the bill is read three times. During the second reading, members may ask to amend the bill. After the third reading, a vote is taken and the bill is either passed or rejected. Once passed, a bill is sent to the other chamber for the same process. Members may wish to amend the bill — if the body passes an altered version of the bill, the bill is taken up by a Committee of Conference. Here, members of both chambers agree to resolve differences between the bills. Both the House and the Senate need to agree to the bill as amended, and then the bill is finally cleared to be sent to the governor for approval.
As always, VaOurWay will be providing updates to readers throughout the 2022 General Assembly session. Additionally, you can see which bills have been introduced by which member and where they are in the legislative process here. A list of scheduled hearings and committee meetings are also available via the Division of Legislative Services, some of which are available to livestream.
