Virginia’s Legislative Branch
The General Assembly
• The General Assembly is Virginia’s legislature.
– It makes laws for our state.
– It is very similar to our national Congress both in
how it is set up and how it operates.
The G.A. is bicameral.
• Like Congress, it is bicameral.
– It is made up of the VA Senate and the VA House
of Delegates.
– The lawmaking process in Virginia is basically the
same as in Congress.
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Introduction of bills
Committee work
Debate on the floor
Vote in both houses
Signed by governor
Step 1 - Introduction
• A concerned citizen presents an idea or issue
to a legislator who then writes the bill and
introduces it to either the House or the
Senate.
Step 2 – Committee Work
• A committee is assigned the bill, studies it,
and makes any necessary changes to it.
Step 3 – Debate on the floor
• There is debate on the floor of both the House
of Delegates and the Senate.
Step 4 – Vote in Both Houses
• A vote is taken in both the House of Delegates
and the Senate.
Step 5 – Governor Signs
• If both houses pass the bill, the governor must
sign it for it to become a law.
The Governor Must Sign!
• The Governor must sign all laws passed by
both Houses in the General Assembly.
– The governor may veto the entire law.
– The governor may use a line-item veto. He may
reject only part of the law, and accept the
remaining parts.
– Both Houses can unite and override the
Governor’s veto by a 2/3 vote.
The 10th Amendment
• Virginia and its General Assembly get their
power from the 10th Amendment.
– The 10th Amendment reserves powers for the states.
– The General Assembly approves a biennial (2-year)
budget.
– The General Assembly works in the State Capitol
Building in Richmond.
– The General Assembly meets every year beginning the
second Wednesday in January. In even-numbered
years, it meets for 60 calendar days. In odd-numbered
years, it meets for 30 calendar days. (This session can
be extended up to 30 additional days.)
Virginia House of Delegates
• VA House of Delegates
– The House of Delegates consists of 100 members.
• Delegates serve a term of two years.
• Each member receives an annual salary of $17,640.
• Each member represents approximately 71,000
citizens.
– You must be 21 years old to be a delegate.
– The Speaker of the House presides over the House
of Delegates.
Virginia Senate
• VA Senate
– The Senate of Virginia consists of 40 members.
• Each member is elected for a term of four years
• Senators receive an annual salary of $18,000.
• A Senator represents approximately 176,000 citizens
of the Commonwealth.
– You must be 21 years old to be a state senator.
– The Lt. Governor presides over the VA Senate.
– The President Pro Tempore presides if the Lt. Gov.
is absent.
Virginia’s Executive Branch
Governor
• The Office of Governor - Official
requirements:
– 30 years of age
– VA resident for at least 5 years
– American citizen
• A governor’s term is for four years.
• In VA you cannot serve back to back terms.
Lieutenant Governor
• The second highest official in VA is the
Lieutenant Governor
– (He is like the VP of our state.)
– He must meet the same requirements as the
governor.
– He is the Head of the Senate.
– He takes over if something happens to the
governor.
Governor’s Responsibilities
• Governor’s Responsibilities
– Carries out VA’s laws
– Prepares budget
• (Gen. Assembly must approve it)
– Vetoes Bills
– Proposes laws
– Grants Pardons
– Appoints cabinet members
– Administers bureaucracy
Governor’s Helpers
• The Governor’s Helpers
– The Governor has a cabinet that advises him on
important matters concerning the state.
– Heads of departments
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Dept. of Justice
Dept. of Education
Dept. of Labor
Dept. of Health
Dept. of Highways
Dept. of Welfare
Dept. of Agriculture
Virginia’s Leaders
• The Leaders of our state
– VA Governor- Bob McDonnell (R)
– VA Lieutenant Governor- Bill Bolling (R)
LT. GOVERNOR
BILL BOLLING