2012 Regular Session
The 2012 Regular Session will convene on Wednesday, January 11, at 12 noon. Information on the newly elected House and Senate members is
now available. In addition, the 2012 Regular Session deadlines (see HJR 5), as well as the
prefiling schedule for the 2013 Regular Session (see HJR 6), are available in the Meeting and Events section of our
homepage.
Legislative session information including daily House and Senate convene and adjourn times can also be found at each body's respective twitter accounts,
@vahouse
and @vasenate.
House and Senate offer live video of 2012 Legislative Sessions
The House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia offer live streaming video of the 2012 Legislative Sessions, when each body
convenes for session.
Minimum system requirements for viewing the streams are available from the links above along with links to related legislative content.
Contacting Your Legislator
As a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, one of your greatest responsibilities is to elect the legislators to represent you in the Virginia General Assembly.
There are a number of online resources available on the Virginia General Assembly website to assist you in taking an active role in the legislative process:
Know who your legislators are and how to contact them. If you don't know who
represents you, find out by using Who's My Legislator. Due to this widely used online service, calling the 800 number for
Constituent Viewpoint has been eliminated. Who's My Legislator gives you the
ability to email your Delegate, Senator as well as contact information for your representatives in the US House of Representatives and US Senate.
In addition, a biographical page on each delegate and senator is available from the General Assembly's homepage.
Contact your representative about a particular issue before the Legislature takes action on it. Using the Legislative Information System, you can track legislation and review committee agendas prior to a meeting. You can even
testify before committees on issues important to you.
Civil War Sesquicentennial Exhibit at the Capitol extended into February 2012
The Virginia State Capitol is hosting an exhibit entitled "The Struggle to Decide: Virginia's Secession Crisis," in conjunction with the Library of Virginia. This exhibit will remain on view in the Capitol extension into February of 2012. The exhibition focuses on the Virginia Convention of 1861 held in the capital city of Richmond and allows visitors the opportunity to learn about some of the key participants and important issues involved in the debates over the question of whether or not Virginia would remain in the Union or join the Confederacy. In addition, visitors may take a free tour of the
historic Capitol specifically tailored to highlight the Virginia Convention's fateful decision to cast a vote for secession and the building’s subsequent role as the home of the Congress of the Confederate
States of America.
Guided tours are approximately one hour; groups larger than 50 will be divided. To schedule a tour of the Virginia
State Capitol for groups of ten or more, call 804.698.1788. Please specify whether your group desires a general tour or an 1861 theme tour of the Capitol.
Capitol Use Policies Adopted by Joint Rules for 2012 Session
The Virginia Capitol, one of the most historic structures in the Western Hemisphere, every year welcomes thousands of Virginia citizens and visitors from around the country and throughout the world.
The Virginia Capitol is unique among historic sites because it also is a working government building. It is important to respect and safeguard the historic nature of the Capitol as well as preserve the
public’s access to their government without impeding the day-to-day operations of state government and the conduct of the people’s business.
In accordance with local, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations, interim rules regarding the Capitol and the House and Senate galleries have been established jointly by the Clerk of the House and the
Clerk of the Senate at the direction of the General Assembly’s Committee on Joint Rules.
Groups interested in holding an event on Capitol Square will need a permit.
Please see the Commonwealth of Virginia's Division of
Engineering and Buildings (DEB) webpage
for information on obtaining these permits.
Capitol Virtual Tour Website
The General Assembly has released a state of the art virtual tours website that brings
Virginia's State Capitol to the citizens of Virginia. The website provides online tours of both the Capitol Grounds and the Capitol Building. Visitors to this
interactive website will have the ability to explore areas on their own or view video presentations.
Please note the virtual tours website requires the Adobe Flash Player. You can download the Flash Player at the Adobe
website at no charge. If you do not have the Flash Player plug-in installed, you will be prompted to install it before any content is shown.
For visitors with special needs: An accessible segment of this
website has been created for those visitors who use technology other than standard web browsers to
view web content.
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