How
can I find out the status of a bill or resolution?
The bill/resolution status is accessed from the Virginia
General Assembly home page by keying in the bill/resolution number and clicking
Go.
How do I print the full text of a bill/resolution?
You can access the bill/resolution's status by accessing the Virginia
General Assembly home page. Key in the bill/resolution number and click Go.
Select the full text option you want to print, i.e., Presented and ordered printed,
Chapter text. Click on the pdf version at the top right of the screen, and when
the full text appears, select File then Print.
What are Fiscal Impact Statements and where can I read them?
Fiscal Impact Statements are statements written by state agencies, commissions,
etc., regarding fiscal/financial impact of that particular bill. If you know
a specific bill has a Fiscal Impact Statement, you can read it by going to the
bill status (see status of a bill, above). Beside the text status is a hyperlink
to the Impact Statement.
Where can I pick up
a copy of a bill/resolution? Is there a charge for bill/resolution
copies?
You can go to the Bill Room and
request a copy. It is located in the basement of the General Assembly Building,
910 Capitol Square, corner of 9th and Broad Sts. For information on bill copies,
you can call the Bill Room at (804) 786-6984. There is no charge for one copy
of a bill/resolution; however, there is a charge for multiple copies.
How can I find a bill/resolution when I don't know the bill number?
There are several ways to find a bill/resolution. (1) If you know the name of
the Delegate or Senator who sponsored the legislation, click on Members.
Click on the member's name then click on the link to Chief Patron to view the
list of legislation sponsored by that member. (2) If you know the subject of
the bill/resolution, you can view a list of bills/resolutions by
subject. (3) You can do a search on the Bills and Resolutions database by
going to Search Bills & Resolutions and
by using keywords and phrases search for bills/resolutions.
Are the introduced bills/resolutions available?
You can see what bills/resolutions were Introduced
for a given day on the categories list i.e., 01-08. Note that the current
date or last date when legislation was introduced will be in the "date" field.
Below you will see a list of bills/resolutions introduced on that specific date.
Change the date to find the bills/resolutions introduced for another day.
Can I find a current list of pending (new) legislation?
Pending legislation
is a cumulative list of all legislation currently being considered. Once this
legislation is defeated or passed by both houses, it is removed from the list.
What are prefiled bills/resolutions and is there a list of
them available?
Prefiled bills/resolutions are any bills/resolutions filed with the House & Senate
Clerk's offices prior to 10 a.m. on the first day of the General Assembly annual
session. Prior to the General Assembly session, the default date will be the
first day of session.
Are there different categories of legislation and how can
I access them?
We have many categories of legislation, for example: All, Passed the House/Senate,
and Failed. Click on categories to
view them.
Do you have any statistics regarding the session?
The session statistics for the bills and resolutions, which include passed, failed,
pending, etc., can be found by clicking Session
Statistics.
What are continued/carry overs?
Carryover
Legislation is bills/resolutions continued/carried over
from one session to the next session. They are continued in
committees for further study. Bills/resolutions are continued/carried
over from even-year sessions to odd-year sessions only.
Can I create and track a list of bills/resolutions from day
to day?
Using Lobbyist-in-a-Box, there are two options for tracking legislation from
day to day. (1) Free
Service: You may store up to 5 bills/resolutions in one Lobbyist-in-a-Box
"profile" without charge. To register you'll need to
fill in your desired user ID and password, your first and last
name, and your email address. (2) Fee
Based: You may track unlimited bills in multiple profiles.
What is Lobbyist-in-a-Box?
The features of Lobbyist-in-a-Box let
users organize bills by subject or topical area. Using search parameters (keywords,
patrons, committees, subject, or Code Sections) that return a list, you may select
bills to add to your profiles. Based on the profile, you can elect to receive
email notification when new bills are offered or changed. Users can request email
notification when legislation is introduced by a General Assembly member(s);
is referred to committee(s), or contains specific key word(s) or Code Section(s).
Where do I find information about the state budget?
You can find information about the State
Budget on the Virginia General Assembly home page. The budget process may
be found by visiting the Department of
Planning and Budget's budget process website.
Is legislative data available from previous years on the Internet?
Yes, there is Legislation from
1994 to the present.
What is the Code of Virginia?
The Code of Virginia contains
the statutes of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Code of Virginia is updated
annually on July 1 to reflect the legislation passed during the previous session.
How can I find a Code Section if I don't know the Section
number?
(1) You can search in the Code
of Virginia database by using keywords and phrases. (2) You can also search
for Sections/Acts that are generally known to the public by clicking on "Popular
Names", (i.e., Freedom of Information Act, FOIA). (3) The Table
of Contents can be used to view all Code Titles with links to Chapters and
Sections.
Where can I find information that is in the Constitution of Virginia?
The Constitution of
Virginia can be found on the General Assembly home page.
What is the Virginia Administrative Code?
The Virginia Administrative Code contains
regulations of all of the State Agencies.
How can I find a Section of the Administrative Code if I don't
know the Section number?
You can search the Virginia Administrative
Code database using keywords and phrases. There is a Table
of Contents so you can view all Titles with links to Agencies Chapters and
Sections.
Where can I find the House and Senate documents (Reports to
the General Assembly) and how many years are available on the
Internet?
The House & Senate documents (Reports of the General Assembly) are found
on the home page under Studies and Commissions under Reports
to the General Assembly. A list of House and Senate documents is available
from 1897 to the present. The Division of Legislative Automated Systems is in
the process of adding the full text and executive summary to each document. Please
contact the Legislative Bill
Room at (804)786-6984 to receive a copy of a document that is not on-line.
Is the Digest of the Acts of Assembly available and how many years can I access?
The Digest
Welcome Page can be found on the Division of Legislative Services home page
under Publications. The Digests are available from 1998 to the present.
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