Legislative branch of the state government of Virginia
Virginia General Assembly
163rd Virginia General Assembly
Type
Type
Bicameral
Houses
Senate House of Delegates
Term limits
None
History
Founded
July 30, 1619 (1619-07-30)
Leadership
Senate President
Winsome Sears (R) since January 15, 2022
Senate President Pro Tempore
Louise Lucas (D) since January 8, 2020
House Speaker
Don Scott (D) since January 10, 2024
Structure
Seats
140 40 senators 100 delegates
Senate political groups
Democratic (21)
Republican (19)
House of Delegates political groups
Democratic (51)
Republican (49)
Length of term
Senate: 4 years House of Delegates: 2 years
Elections
Last Senate election
November 7, 2023
Last House of Delegates election
November 7, 2023
Redistricting
Commission of eight lawmakers and eight citizens
Meeting place
Virginia State Capitol Richmond
Website
virginiageneralassembly.gov
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World and was established on July 30, 1619.[1][2]
The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members, and an upper house, the Senate of Virginia, with 40 members. Senators serve terms of four years, and delegates serve two-year terms. Combined, the General Assembly consists of 140 elected representatives from an equal number of constituent districts across the commonwealth. The House of Delegates is presided over by the speaker of the House, while the Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virginia. The House and Senate each elect a clerk and sergeant-at-arms. The Senate of Virginia's clerk is known as the clerk of the Senate (instead of as the secretary of the Senate, the title used by the U.S. Senate).
Following the 2019 election, the Democratic Party held a majority of seats in both the House and the Senate for the first time since 1996. They were sworn into office on January 8, 2020, at the start of the 161st session.[3][4] In the 2021 election, the Republican Party recaptured a majority in the House of Delegates, then lost it after the 2023 election, when the Democratic Party secured majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly.
^"The First General Assembly | Historic Jamestowne". Retrieved May 9, 2022.
^"House History". history.house.virginia.gov. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
^"Newly-Empowered Virginia Democrats Promise Action". Voice of America. Associated Press. January 8, 2020. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
^"Asombra diversidad étnica de nueva Legislatura de Virginia" (in Spanish). Chron. January 8, 2020. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020.
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