Civics 101
Practical Essentials of Virginia Government in 5 minutes
By Walt Barbee
Elections. Unlike most states, every year is an election
year in Virginia. State and local elections are in odd
years. Federal elections are in even years. In 2003, for
example, all 140 members of the General Assembly
were up for reelection.
Virginia General Assembly. Makes all Virginia
laws, raises taxes, approves the state budget
(spending), appoints various commissions, and
appoints state judges. Composed of two legislative
chambers: the House of Delegates and the Senate of
Virginia. Bills must pass both chambers and, with
certain exceptions, be signed by the Governor in order
to become law. The General Assembly’s authority to
legislate is restricted only by the Constitution of
Virginia and the U.S. Constitution. Sessions. The
General Assembly convenes on the second
Wednesday of January each year, for 30 days
(usually extended to 45 days) in odd years; and for 60
days in even years. Budget. Virginia operates on a
biennial budget, which is proposed by the Governor
and passed by the General Assembly, with
modifications, in even years. In odd years, the
General Assembly adjusts the Budget. Fiscal year.
Virginia operates on a fiscal year basis. The FY 2003
budget, for example, begins July 1, 2002 and ends
June 30, 2003.
House of Delegates - home of Founding Fathers.
Virginia has an illustrious history in America. The
Virginia House of Delegates (formerly the House of
Burgesses) is the oldest continuous, democratically
elected legislative body in the world, dating from
1619! Notable former members include Founding
Fathers Patrick Henry, George Mason, Peyton
Randolph, George Wythe, “Light Horse” Harry Lee,
and former Presidents George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. The
House of Delegates has 100 members elected from
100 Delegate Districts, numbered from 1 to 100.
Since the 2000 population of Virginia was
approximately 7.3 million (12th largest state), that
means each delegate represents about 73,000
citizens.
Speaker. The leader and presiding officer of the
House is the Speaker, the second most powerful
person in state government. The Speaker is elected
by a majority vote of the members from, with rare
exception, the majority party. Leaders. Besides the
Speaker, the majority party elects a Majority Leader
and a Majority Whip. Likewise, the minority party
elects a Minority Leader and a Minority Whip.
Party Caucuses. There are two party caucuses. All
Republicans belong to the Republican Caucus; all
Democrats to the Democratic Caucus. Independents
may choose which caucus to join, or none. Each
caucus devises strategy to promote its issues and
bills. Committees. The House has 20 standing
committees, each with jurisdiction over various
areas of state government (e.g. Finance, Education,
Transportation, General Laws, Courts of Justice,
etc.). Committees do most of the business of
processing the 2500-3000 bills introduced each
year. Members (delegates) are assigned to serve on
four or five committees by the Speaker.
Virginia Senate. The Senate has 40 members
elected from 40 Senate Districts. Thus, each senator
currently represents approximately 183,000 citizens.
2003 will see the first election of state senators from
the new districts created in the 2000 redistricting.
The Presiding officer of the Senate is the Lt.
Governor, who only votes to break ties. He presides
during Senate sessions, but he does not run the
business of the Senate. That is the business of party
leaders. Leaders. The Senate elects a President ProTempore who presides in the absence of the Lt.
Governor As in the House, each party elects a
Leader and a Whip (Majority and Minority,
respectively.) Party caucuses. As in the House,
there are two party caucuses, Democratic and
Republican, which try to advance the goals and bills
of each party. Committees. The Senate has 15
standing committees (generally with 15 members),
each with jurisdiction over various areas of state
government (e.g. Finance, Education & Health,
Transportation, General Laws, Courts of Justice, etc.).
Committees do most of the business of processing the
2500-3000 bills introduced each year.
Committee assignments. Leaders of the majority
party decide how many members each party will have
on each committee. On the most important
committees, like Rules, the majority party will have a
super majority. Currently (2003), on most
committees, the Republicans have an 8-7 majority.
Members are assigned to serve on several committees
by a Committee on Committee in each party.
Bill assignment. Bills are assigned to committees
based on germaneness by the Clerk of the Senate, a
professional employee appointed by the Senate
leadership. Thus, all bills dealing with abortion and
education are assigned to the Education & Health
Committee, historically regarded as the “graveyard”
of pro-life, pro-family legislation due to the
prevailing philosophy of a majority of its members.
Veto session. The General Assembly reconvenes,
usually for one, sometimes two, days in April, to
consider actions taken by the governor on bills passed
in the recent session. This is commonly called the
“Veto session.” The General Assembly can override
the Governor’s veto of a bill by a two-thirds majority
vote in each house. For example, in 2002, the General
Assembly passed a bill to ban Partial Birth Abortions,
which Governor Mark Warner vetoed. The House
overrode the governor’s veto, but the Senate fell two
votes short. So, the governor’s veto held.
General Assembly Elections & Terms of Office.
All Delegates are elected in odd years. Thus, a
delegate’s term of office is two years. All Senators
are elected every other odd year (1999, 2003, 2007,
etc.). Thus, a senator’s term of office is four years.
Each year in which Senators are elected, all 140
members of the General Assembly are up for
reelection. In the other odd year (2001, 2005, etc.),
the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and
all Delegates are elected. In recent times, about twothirds of the General Assembly run unopposed for
reelection.
Code of Virginia. Contains the body of laws passed
by the General Assemblies of Virginia. When a law
is passed, the terms of the law are said to be
codified (pronounced “kod-i-fi” as in “modify.”)
Raising taxes. There are currently no limits on how
much the General Assembly may raise taxes.
Proposals to raise revenue by the of selling bonds,
however, is restricted by the constitutional
requirement to submit the proposal to a vote of the
citizens.
Power over local governments. Virginia is a
“Dillon Rule” state. That means local governments
hold only such power and authority granted to them
by the Virginia Constitution and the General
Assembly. Local governments may not legally pass
ordinances granting privileges beyond those
covered by Virginia statutes. For example, in the
late 90s, Arlington granted “Domestic partner”
benefits to same-sex or unmarried cohabiting
partners. This action was overturned by the Virginia
Supreme Court, based on this principle of law
Redistricting. Every ten years, following each
national census, state legislatures are required to
redraw the lines of state and federal (Congressional)
legislative districts, so as to be proportional to
population distribution. The General Assembly did
so in 2000. Thus, the 2001 House elections and the
2003 Senate elections were the first election
using the new district boundaries established by the
General Assembly subsequent to the 2000 national
Census.
Statewide Offices
Governor I Lt. Governor I Attorney General The
offices of Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney
General are our statewide constitutional offices.
These officers are elected every other odd year (2001,
2005, 2009, etc.). Their terms of office are for four
years. Virginia has one of the most powerful
governorships in the nation. However, in part due to
the governor’s unusual patronage and powers, the
Virginia Constitution limits the governor to one
consecutive term. Currently, Virginia is the only state
to limit its governor to one term.
Local elected officials
Local constitutional officers. Local constitutional
officers include Sheriff, Commonwealth’s Attorney,
and Clerk of Court. The term of office for the former
two is four years (2003, 2007, etc.). The term of
office for Clerk of Court is eight years.
Local Boards of Supervisors I City Councils.
Elected every other odd year for a term of office of
four years (2003, 2007, etc.).
Local school boards. The elected every other odd
year for a term of office of four years (2003, 2007,
etc.).
State Judges. Selected and appointed by the
General Assembly. Subject to periodic
reappointment.
Federal elected officers
President! Vice President. Elected every other
even year for term for years (2000, 2004, 2008,
etc.). The president is restricted to two consecutive
four year terms.
U.S. Senators. Elected in even years for a term of
six years. No restriction on length of service. No
two senators from a state are elected in the same
year. With two senators from each state , the U.S.
Senate has 100 members.
Congressmen. Elected in even years for a term of
two years. No restriction of length of service. The
number of congressmen in each state is proportional
to its population. (Virginia has eleven.) That
number is subject to change after each national
census. For example, after the 2000 census, New
York and several other northeastern states lost
congressmen, whereas some states in the south and
west gained congressmen. The total number of
members of the US Congress is set at 435 by the US
Constitution. (Rev. 1, 11103)