The 2011 Virginia General Assembly session convened Wednesday, January 12th, and adjourned Sunday, February 27th.

• Regular Session
  The General Assembly meets annually, beginning on the second Wednesday in January, for 60 days in even-numbered years and for 30 days in odd-numbered years, with an option to extend annual sessions for a maximum of 30 days.
• Special Sessions
  The Governor may call a special session when it is deemed necessary or advisable, and must do so when petitioned by two-thirds of the members of both houses.
• Reconvened Sessions
  A reconvened session is held on the sixth Wednesday after adjournment of each regular or special session for the purpose of considering governor’s recommendations and vetoed legislation.

Lee District is represented in the General Assembly by four Delegates (Englin, Sickles, Surovell and Watts) and three Senators (Barker, Puller and Ticer). Each has done a tremendous job during this term, and here are their reports:

• Virginia House Democratic Caucus
  • Del. David Englin
  • Del. Mark Sickles
  • Del. Scott Surovell
  • Del. Vivian Watts
• Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus
  • Sen. George Barker
  • Sen. Toddy Puller
  • Sen. Patsy Ticer

Did You Know

from the VA General Assembly Visitor’s Guide

The Virginia General Assembly dates from the establishment of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown in 1619. It is heralded by Virginians as the “oldest continuous law-making body in the New World.”

The 1776 Virginia Constitution confirmed our bicameral legislature, which consists of the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia. The present state Constitution, adopted in 1970, provides that the House of Delegates shall consist of 90 to 100 members and the Senate shall consist of 33 to 40 members. All members of the General Assembly are elected by qualified voters within their respective House and Senate districts. The terms of office are two years for members of the House and four years for members of the Senate. Members may not hold any other public office during their term of office.

The General Assembly’s chief responsibilities are to represent citizens in the formulation of public policy, enact laws of the Commonwealth, approve the budget, levy taxes, elect judges and confirm appointments by the Governor.

About House Members

from about the House, General Information

The House of Delegates consists of 100 members. Each member represents approximately 71,000 citizens. The term of office for a member of the House of Delegates is two years. Each member receives an annual salary of $17,640.

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House and is elected by the House in even-numbered years for a two-year term. The Speaker’s duties are dictated by the Rules of the House. Among these duties are the assigning of bills to committee and appointing the membership of the 14 House standing committees.

The Clerk of the House is elected by the House in even-numbered years and continues in office until another is chosen. The Clerk is responsible for the administration of the House under the direction of the Speaker.

About Senate Members

from about the Senate, General Information

The Senate of Virginia consists of 40 members. Each member is elected for a term of four years and receives an annual salary of $18,000. A Senator represents approximately 176,000 citizens of the Commonwealth.

The Lieutenant Governor is the presiding officer of the Senate and is elected in a statewide election for a four-year term. In the event of his absence, the President pro tempore carries out the duties of the presiding officer. The President pro tempore is elected by the Senate for a term of four years.

The Clerk of the Senate is elected by the Senate. The Clerk’s duties are overseeing the daily operations of the Senate, maintaining all Senate records, keeping the daily Journal, and referring bills to committees.

The Virginia House of Delegates annual art contest is open to public, private, and homeschooled students ages 4-12. The goal is to provide students with an opportunity to be creative, explore new ideas, and share his/her vision on a topic that is related to Virginia’s rich heritage.

Each participant should create an original, two-dimensional artwork that illustrates what makes living and/or going to school in your district special and/or what contributions your district has made to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

What is your district, click here.

Entries must be postmarked by December 3, 2010. 

Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

39th, incumbent Vivian Watts
Of her challengers: “None is the equal of Ms. Watts, a former state secretary of transportation.”

43rd, incumbent Mark Sickles
“A savvy, productive lawmaker.”

44th, open seat Scott Surovell
“An energetic, creative-minded lawyer who knows state and local issues in depth. He’s clearly the best choice for this open seat.”

45th, incumbent David Englin
“Is in a cakewalk against a former Bush administration appointee whose knowledge and experience regarding state and local issues are tissue-thin.”

Watts Newsletter 2009