In the Virginia House of Delegates, the Speaker retains ultimate discretion to refer legislation to whichever committee he or she deems appropriate. The purposes/jurisdictions listed are summaries “based on the subject matter that have historically been considered by each committee” but are not inclusive (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025). #
House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
Undefined.
Subcommittees #
House Communications, Technology, and Innovation Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
Undefined.
Subcommittees #
House Counties, Cities, and Towns Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“Considers matters of local government in the counties, cities, towns, regions, or districts, including charters; land use planning and development, including growth control measures; local planning boards, commissions and authorities, except matters relating to the compensation or election of officeholders, or matters involving expenditure of state funds” (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025).
Subcommittees #
House Courts of Justice Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“Considers matters relating to the Courts of the Commonwealth including the nominations of judges and justices where provided by the Constitution and statutes of Virginia; and all matters concerning the criminal laws of the Commonwealth. The committee’s jurisdiction also includes matters concerning contracts; juvenile and domestic relations; eminent domain; fiduciaries; garnishments; magistrates, mechanics and other liens; notaries public and out-of-state Commissioners; property and conveyances; as well as wills and estates” (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025).
Subcommittees #
House Education Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“Considers matters concerning public education in Virginia to include K-12 education, home schooling standards, charter schools, the state community college system and other institutions of higher education. The committee also considers matters affecting teachers and education-related occupations, other than those relating to the expenditure of state funds (salaries)” (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025).
Subcommittees #
House Finance Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“Considers matters concerning general and special revenues of the Commonwealth; and taxation matters, including, tax exemptions such as property tax, sales and use tax, food and beverage tax and care tax exemptions” (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025).
Subcommittees #
House General Laws Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“Considers matter concerning alcoholic beverage sales and licensure requirements; emblems of the Commonwealth; cemeteries; conflicts of interest, except those concerning members of the judiciary or the legal profession; consumer affairs; fire protection; Freedom of Information Act; Public-Private Partnership Act; housing, to include the Landlord-Tenant Act, Condo Association Act, and Property Owners Associations; inter- or intra-government relations, including inter- and intra-state compacts and agreement; libraries; gambling, to include lotteries, casino and pari-mutuel wagering; professions and occupations, except the health and legal professions; organization of state governmental bodies (agencies, boards, departments, etc); veterans’ affairs; and matters not specifically referable to other committees” (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025).
Subcommittees #
- ABC/Gaming
- Housing/Consumer Protection
- Procurement/Open Government
- Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process
- Subcommittee #5
House Health and Human Services Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
Undefined.
Subcommittees #
House Labor and Commerce Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“Considers matter concerning banking; commerce; commercial law; corporations; industry; insurance; labor; manufacturing; partnerships; public utilities, except matters relating to transportation; workmen’s compensation and unemployment matters” (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025).
Subcommittees #
House Privileges and Elections Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“Considers matters concerning voting; apportionment and redistricting of state legislative and congressional district boundaries; constitutional amendments; elections; elected officeholders; and nominations and appointments to any office or position in the Commonwealth, except judges and justices of the Commonwealth” (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025).
Subcommittees #
House Public Safety Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
Not yet obtained for 2025 session.
Subcommittees #
House Transportation Committee #
Website #
Membership; reports; bills; and meeting schedule, agendas available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“Considers matters concerning airports, airspaces and airways; laws concerning motor vehicles relating to rules of the road or traffic regulations; including seat belts, radar detectors, and vehicle inspections; creation and issuance of special license plates; Public-Private Transportation Act; public roads, streets, and highways; port facilities; transportation safety; public waterways and seaports; railways; transportation companies or corporations; and transportation public utilities” (Jurisdiction of the Standing Committees, provided by staff, Feb. 2025).
Subcommittees #
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- Highway Safety and Policy
- Innovations (Ad Hoc)
- Transportation Infrastructure and Funding
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources to consider matters concerning agriculture; air and water pollution and solid waste disposal; conservation of land and water resources; crustaceans and bivalves; all matters of environment, forest, fresh and salt water fishing, game, mining, parks and recreation, and petroleum products” (Senate Rule VI, 18(a)).
Subcommittees #
Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee on Commerce and Labor to consider all matters concerning banking; commerce; commercial law; corporations; economic development; industry; insurance; labor; manufacturing; partnerships; public utilities, except matters relating to transportation; tourism; workmen’s compensation and unemployment matters” (Senate Rule VI, 18(b)).
Senate Committee on Courts of Justice #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee for Courts of Justice to consider matters relating to the Courts of the Commonwealth and the Justices and Judges thereof, including the nominations of such Justices and Judges where provided by the Constitution and statutes of Virginia; and all matters concerning the criminal laws of the Commonwealth; together with all matters concerning the contracts, domestic relations, eminent domain, fiduciaries, firearms, garnishments, homestead and all other exemptions, immigration (with the exception of matters relating to the powers of the Governor or education), magistrates, mechanics’ and other liens, notaries public and out-of-state commissioners, property and conveyances (except landlord and tenant and condominium matters), wills and decedents’ estates.
“It shall report to the Senate the names of such persons as it shall find qualified for election as a Justice or Judge of the Commonwealth. Senators, all or part of whose Senate Districts are within the Circuit or District for which a Judge is to be elected, shall nominate a qualified person for such election by affirmation of a majority of such Senators on a form provided by the Clerk of the Senate. If such Senators are unable to agree on a nominee, a Senator shall only nominate a person deemed qualified by the Committee for Courts of Justice for any Judicial position.
“Whenever a vacancy in the office of a justice of the Supreme Court or judge of the Court of Appeals is announced, the Chair of the Committee for Courts of Justice
shall establish a date certain by which any Senator may forward the name of any potential nominee for such office to the Chair” (Senate Rule VI, 18(c)).
Senate Committee on Education and Health #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee on Education and Health to consider matters concerning education; human reproduction; life support; persons under disability; public buildings; public health; mental health; intellectual disability and health professions” (Senate Rule VI, 18(d)).
Subcommittees #
Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee on General Laws and Technology to consider matters concerning affirmation and bonds; the boundaries, jurisdiction and emblems of the Commonwealth; cemeteries; condominiums; consumer affairs; fire protection; gaming and wagering; housing; inter- or intra-government information technology applications and uses other than those proposed or used to support the operations of the General Assembly or the Senate; land offices; landlord and tenant; libraries; military and war emergency; nuisances; oaths; professions and occupations (except the health and legal professions); religious and charitable matters; state governmental reorganization; veterans’ affairs; warehouses; and matters not specifically referable to other Committees, including, but not limited to, matters relating to technology, engineering, or electronic research, development, policy, standards, measurements, or definitions, or the scientific, technical, or technological requirements thereof, except for those affecting the operations of theGeneral Assembly or the Senate” (Senate Rule VI, 18(f)).
Subcommittees #
Senate Committee on Local Government #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee on Local Government to consider matters of local government in the counties, cities, towns, regions or districts, planning boards and commissions and authorities, except matters relating to the compensation of elected officeholders, where funds of the Commonwealth are involved” (Senate Rule VI, 18(g)).
Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee on Privileges and Elections to consider matters concerning voting; apportionment; conflict of interests, except those concerning members of the judiciary or solely the legal profession, provided that any such matter, after being reported by the Committee, shall be rereferred by the Committee to the Committee for Courts of Justice for consideration of the matters relating only to members of the judiciary or solely to the legal profession; constitutional amendments; elections; elected officeholders; reprimand, censure, or expulsion of a Senator; and nominations and appointments to any office or position in the Commonwealth (except Justices and Judges of the Commonwealth). It shall consider all grievances and propositions, federal relations and interstate matters. It shall examine the oath taken by each Senator and the certificate of election furnished by the proper office and report thereon to the Senate. It shall review and report as may be required in cases involving
financial disclosure statements and shall recommend disciplinary action by majority vote where appropriate. It shall report in all cases involving contested elections the principles and reasons upon which their resolves are founded. It shall determine and report on all matters referred to it by the Senate Ethics Advisory Panel as set forth in the statutes.
“Whenever the Clerk receives a report of the Senate Ethics Advisory Panel or a resolution seeking the reprimand, censure, or expulsion of a Senator, the report shall be referred forthwith to the Committee on Privileges and Elections. The Committee shall consider the matter, conduct such hearings as it shall deem necessary, and, in all cases report its determination of the matter, together with its recommendations and reasons for its resolves, to the Senate. If the Committee deems disciplinary action warranted, it shall report a resolution offered by a member of the Committee to express such action. Any such resolution reported by the Committee shall be a privileged matter. The Senate as a whole shall then consider the resolution, and, by recorded vote, either defeat the resolution or take one or more of the following actions: (i) reprimand the Senator with a majority vote of the Senators present and voting; (ii) censure the Senator and place the Senator last in seniority with a majority vote of the elected membership of the Senate; (iii) expel the Senator with a two-thirds vote of the elected membership of the Senate; or (iv) refer the matter to the Attorney General for appropriate action with a majority vote of the Senators present and voting, in the event the Senate finds a knowing violation of § 30-108 or subsection C of § 30-110 of the Code of Virginia” (Senate Rule VI, 18(h)).
Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services to consider matters concerning alcoholic beverages and cannabis; correctional and penal institutions; morals; social services and welfare; and substance abuse” (Senate Rule VI, 18(i)).
Subcommittees #
Senate Committee on Transportation #
Website #
Membership, meeting schedule, and legislation available on website.
Purpose/Jurisdiction #
“A Committee on Transportation to consider matters concerning airports; airspaces; airways; the laws concerning motor vehicles relating to rules of the road or traffic regulations; heliports; highways; port facilities; public roads and streets; transportation safety; public waterways; railways; seaports; transportation companies or corporations; and transportation public utilities. Any matter relating to rules of the road or traffic regulations which include a change in a penalty shall be rereferred by the Committee to the Committee on the Judiciary” (Senate Rule VI, 18(j)).
