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2000 SESSION

009814508
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 243
Offered January 24, 2000
Establishing a joint subcommittee to study the efficacy of time management changes for the General Assembly.
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Patron-- Norment
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the part-time "citizen legislature" is an integral part of Virginia's history and an institution that the General Assembly is committed to continuing into the 21st Century; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly is equally committed to promoting the full and open consideration of issues, increasing public accessibility to the legislative process and fostering the most efficient use of the legislature's time; and

WHEREAS, in recent years, the workload of the General Assembly has grown in magnitude, scope and complexity, increasing the amount of time members must deal with legislative affairs; and

WHEREAS, procedures and practices governing the scheduling of activities of the General Assembly and its committees have gone largely unchanged during the past twenty years; and

WHEREAS, proposed constitutional amendments to change the commencement date of the General Assembly have been introduced to alleviate the workload around the holiday season for members and their staff, but have not never been submitted to the voters for approval; and

WHEREAS, a recess at the commencement of the session would allow for more time for bills to be printed and reviewed, thereby giving legislators an additional opportunity to confer with their constituents on matters before the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, most interim meetings are scheduled through the polling of members, and are held during various times of the month, often resulting in personal and professional conflicts as well as limiting members' ability to make advanced plans during the interim; and

WHEREAS, many states provide for an organizational meeting prior to the convening of their legislative session to adopt rules and make standing committee appointments; and

WHEREAS, comprehensive review of the time management practices and procedures governing the activities of the General Assembly would yield valuable information that could streamline operations and allow the General Assembly to continue to prosper as a citizen legislature; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study the efficiency of time management changes for the General Assembly. The joint subcommittee shall be composed of 12 members as follows: four members of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; six members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker; the Clerk of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Delegates, who shall serve ex officio, with voting privileges.

The study shall include, but not be limited to, an examination and evaluation of proposals to (i) change the date the regular session convenes; (ii) provide a continuous recess upon the General Assembly's commencement for the purposes of committee deliberations on proposed legislation; and (iii) designate specific times during the interim for standing committee and study group meetings.

The direct of this study shall not exceed $7,500.

The Division of Legislative Services shall provide staff support for the study. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2000 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.