What
is a standing committee, and when and where do they meet?
A standing committee is a permanent committee of the House of Delegates or Senate.
A listing of the standing committees is
available online with links to information on scheduled meeting times and places
for each committee. Also online is a schedule
of legislative meetings, which is updated daily during session.
What is a subcommittee
and a joint subcommittee?
A subcommittee is a smaller group of members from a particular standing committee
of either the House of Delegates or Senate that meet to review, in depth, information
that has come before the standing committee. The group then reports its findings
back to the full standing committee. Sometimes a joint subcommittee is created
where both House of Delegates members and Senate members are brought together
to review information that is of interest to both houses of government.
How are members appointed
to committees and on how many committees may a member serve?
In the House of Delegates, the Speaker assigns House members to committees. The
first member named is the chairman. No member of the House shall serve on less
than two nor more than four standing committees. (See Rules
15 and 16(b) of the Rules of the House.)
In the Senate, committee members
are elected by the Senate for a term of four years. The first
named is the chairman. No member of the Senate shall serve
on more than four, nor less than three, standing committees.
(See Rule
20(a) of the Rules of the Senate.)
What is the membership
of each committee?
The membership for each of the standing
committees is available online with links to information
on scheduled meeting times and places.
How are bills referred
to a committee?
In the House of Delegates, the Speaker refers bills to committee.
(See Rule 37 of the Rules
of the House.)
In the Senate, bills are referred
to committee by the Senate Clerk. (See Rule
8(d) of the Rules of the Senate.)
When will my bill
be heard in committee?
The committee chairman determines the agenda for each committee
meeting. By using the links to committees within the Legislative
Information System (LIS), the user can access committee
dockets by date of meeting. Using the bill or resolution
number, legislation can easily be tracked from introduction
to final disposition using LIS.
What must I do if
I want to testify before a committee?
Arrive early, as you may have the opportunity to register
to speak prior to the start of the meeting. Generally, the
patron of legislation before the committee will be given
the opportunity to speak first. After the patron's explanation
of the bill's intent, the opponents and proponents will be
given the chance to be heard in an order set forth by the
Chairman. Please be aware that due to the amount of legislative
work before the committees and the possibility of numerous
speakers, a time limit may be set by the Chairman for each
speaker. For some helpful hints in preparing your remarks,
see Tips for Testifying.
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