VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

• Code of Virginia
• Virginia Administrative Code
• Constitution of Virginia
• Charters
• Authorities
• Compacts
• Uncodified Acts
• RIS Users (account required)

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

• Bills & Resolutions
  session legislation
• Bill Summaries
  session summaries
• Reports to the General Assembly
  House and Senate documents
• Legislative Liaisons
  State agency contacts

ACROSS SESSIONS

• Subject Index: Since 1995
• Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
• Summaries: Since 1994

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

1997 SESSION

• history | hilite | pdf | print version

973306254
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 560 Offered January 20, 1997 Proposing an amendment to Section 7 of Article IV of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to the organization of the General Assembly and proportional representation on legislative committees. ----------
Patrons-- Griffith, Albo, Cox, Drake, Dudley, Hargrove, Ingram, Landes, Marshall, May, McClure, McDonnell, Morgan, Nixon, Orrock, Parrish, Ruff, Rust, Sherwood, Wagner, Wardrup, Way and Weatherholtz; Senator: Trumbo
---------- Referred to Committee on Rules ----------

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, a majority of the members elected to each house agreeing, That the following amendment to the Constitution of Virginia be, and the same hereby is, proposed and referred to the General Assembly at its first regular session held after the next general election of members of the House of Delegates for its concurrence in conformity with the provisions of Section 1 of Article XII of the Constitution of Virginia, namely:

Amend Section 7 of Article IV of the Constitution of Virginia as follows:

ARTICLE IV LEGISLATURE

Section 7. Organization of General Assembly.

The House of Delegates shall choose its own Speaker; and, in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor, or when he shall exercise the office of Governor, the Senate shall choose from its own body a president pro tempore. Each house shall select its officers and settle its rules of procedure. On each standing committee or any legislative committee established to consider legislation, minority parties shall be entitled to the number of seats that is proportional to the number of minority party members compared to the total elected house membership. The General Assembly shall address by law, or each house shall address by rule, any fractional representation created by the application of this requirement. The houses may jointly provide for legislative continuity between sessions occurring during the term for which members of the House of Delegates are elected. Each house may direct writs of election for supplying vacancies which may occur during a session of the General Assembly. If vacancies exist while the General Assembly is not in session, such writs may be issued by the Governor under such regulations as may be prescribed by law. Each house shall judge of the election, qualification, and returns of its members, may punish them for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of its elected membership, may expel a member.