Virginia House of Delegates

37°32′19″N 77°26′00″W / 37.53865°N 77.43331°W / 37.53865; -77.43331

Virginia House of Delegates
163rd Virginia General Assembly
Type
Type	Lower House of the Virginia General Assembly
Term limits	None
History
Established	1776
Preceded by	House of Burgesses
New session started	January 10, 2024
Leadership
Speaker	Don Scott (D) since January 10, 2024
Majority Leader	Charniele Herring (D) since January 10, 2024
Minority Leader	Todd Gilbert (R) since January 10, 2024
Structure
Seats	100
Political groups	Majority   Democratic (51)
Political groups	Minority   Republican (49)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article IV, Virginia Constitution
Salary	$17,640/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 7, 2023
Next election	November 4, 2025
Redistricting	By 16-member bipartisan commission, approved by General Assembly
Meeting place
House of Delegates Chamber Virginia State Capitol Richmond, Virginia
Website
Virginia General Assembly

The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the House membership by the Delegates. The Speaker is usually a member of the majority party and, as Speaker, becomes the most powerful member of the House. The House shares legislative power with the Senate, the upper house of the General Assembly. The House of Delegates is the modern-day successor to the colonial House of Burgesses, which first met at Jamestown in 1619. The House is divided into Democratic and Republican caucuses. In addition to the Speaker, there is a majority leader, majority whip, majority caucus chair, minority leader, minority whip, minority caucus chair, and the chairs of the several committees of the House.

Only Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.