The 161st Virginia General Assembly, consisting of members who were elected in both the House election and Senate election in 2019, convened on January 8, 2020. It was the first time Democrats held both houses of the General Assembly and the governorship since the 147th General Assembly in 1993.
A special session was called by Governor Ralph Northam for August 18, 2020 to make budget cuts and pass bills for criminal justice reform, racial justice, affordable housing and COVID-19 protections. The special session ended on November 9, 2020. After a shorter 30-day session occurred from January to February 2021, Northam called for another special session which lasted until March. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Capitol was closed to the public and sessions were re-located to alternative buildings.
Membership
On November 9, 2019, Eileen Filler-Corn was nominated by the Democratic majority caucus for Speaker of the House of Delegates, and upon election by the House on January 8, she became the first woman and first Jew to be elected Speaker. Concurrently, Charniele Herring was elected as Majority Leader, making her the first woman and first African-American to serve as Majority Leader.
In addition, Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim woman to be elected to the Senate. Incumbent Danica Roem became the first transgender legislator to be re-elected to office in U.S. history.
In total, the 161st General Assembly has the highest number of women elected to both bodies, with 30 in the House and 11 in the Senate.
Speaker Filler-Corn selected Del. Luke Torian to be the first African-American House Appropriations Chair in state history. This was the first time that an African-American delegate was selected to chair a House committee since William P. Robinson Jr. (D-Norfolk) chaired the Transportation Committee in 1998 and was co-chairman of the panel in 1998, according to House Clerk G. Paul Nardo.
Leadership
Senate
Senate Majority Leader: Dick Saslaw (D) Senate Minority Leader: Tommy Norment (R) Senate Majority Caucus Chair: Mamie Locke (D) Senate President pro-tempore: L. Louise Lucas (D) Senate Majority Caucus Vice Chair: Scott Surovell (D) Senate Majority Caucus Vice Chair for Policy: Jeremy McPike (D) Senate Majority Caucus Secretary: Jennifer McClellan (D) Senate Majority Caucus Treasurer: Ghazala Hashmi (D) Senate Majority Whips: Barbara Favola (D) and Lionell Spruill (D) Senate Majority Sergeant at Arms: Jennifer Boysko (D) Clerk: Susan Clarke Schaar
Committee chairs and ranking members
The Senate of Virginia has 10 Standing Committees and a Committee on Rules.
House of Delegates
Speaker: Eileen Filler-Corn (D) House Majority Leader: Charniele Herring (D) House Majority Caucus Chair: Rip Sullivan (D) House Minority Leader: Todd Gilbert (R) House Minority Whip: Jay Leftwich (R) House Minority Caucus Chair: Kathy Byron (R) Clerk: Suzette Denslow
Committee chairs and ranking members
The House has 14 standing committees.
Legislation
Pre-filing of bills for the 2020 session began November 18, 2019. 828 bills were passed by the House by crossover day on February 12, 2020, an increase from the 603 bills passed under the Republican majority in the 2019 session.