Standing Committees: Appointment and Number

Selection process based on seniority.

Beginning with the 2020 General Assembly, committee selection process will be based on seniority for standing committees, House Budget Committee, Legislative Council, and Legislative Joint Auditing Committee. Committee composition balanced by geographical region. Speaker appoints members of select committees.

22 standing committees, 4 statutory committees (Legislative Management, Executive and Legislative Nominations, Regulation Review, and Internship) are all joint committees.

Committee members appointed by the senate leadership under the direction of the president pro tempore, by and with the senate’s consent.

Minority Leader selects minority members.

Committee members- majority leader and minority leader.

Committee on Organization, Calendar and Rules.

Speaker appoints only 12 of the 19 members of the Committee on Appropriations.

There are currently 16 Joint Standing Committees, two Joint Select Committees, and a joint Government Oversight Committee.

Senate minority committee members chosen by minority caucus, but appointed by president pro tempore. Minority members of committees appointed by the Minority floor leader.

Senate president and House speaker consult with minority leaders.

The minority leader may recommend for consideration minority party members for each committee.

Appointment based on Senior Member of the Committee from the Majority Party (Senate Rule 19D).

For each standing substantive committee of the House, except for procedural committees, a maximum of one-half of the membership, exclusive of chair and vice-chair, is determined by seniority; the remaining membership of the committee is determined by the speaker.

In the Virginia Senate, the chair is the committee member from the majority party who has the most seniority.

Recommended by the Committee on Committees, approved by the president, then confirmed by the Senate.

Recommended by the Committee on Committees, then confirmed by the House.

Chair of the Council.

Members are appointed by the Chairperson; Chairperson is elected during majority caucus prior to inauguration.

Committee on Assignments.

Senate: President and Minority Leader appoint committee members including chairperson and minority spokesperson. House: Speaker appoints chairperson and majority members; Minority Leader appoints minority members.

Speaker confers with Minority Leader regarding minority member appointments.

President appoints Senate members of joint standing committees.

Speaker appoints House members of joint standing committees.

Committee memberships are established by a resolution adopted by the Senate. The majority leader and minority can make subsequent changes to committee memberships by agreement.

Senate: Includes eight substantive committees and one procedural committee. House: Includes 13 substantive committees and three procedural committees.

There were an additional 8 joint committees with 8 subcommittees, which included members from both chambers. Some of the full committees met only one time to review conflicts between different versions of the same bill passed by both chambers while others meet regularly throughout session, such as the Joint Committee on Ways and Means and the Joint Committee on Transportation. The Senate, House, and Joint Conduct Committees are appointed by chamber votes.

The House also has 23 standing subcommittees.