The163rd Virginia General Assembly, consisting of members who were elected in both theHouse andSenate elections in 2023, convened on January 10, 2024. Both elections were the first to be held under maps for both houses of theVirginia General Assembly which were approved by the Virginia Redistricting Commission and theSupreme Court of Virginia in 2021, which were the first in Virginia history to not be drawn and approved by the legislature. Both elections resulted in Democrats winning majorities in both houses for the first time since 2021, with one-seat majorities in both chambers; it was the first time that Democrats won both houses of the legislature against an incumbent Republican governor since 1995.
The 2024 session convened from January 10 to March 9, 2024. Following adjournment of the 2024 regular session on February 22, GovernorGlenn Youngkin called a special session for May 13 for both completion of the 2024-2026 biennial budget and amendments to the 2023-2024 budget.[1] Over Youngkin's objection, Democrats in both houses refused to adjourn the special session following completion of the budget, allowing the special session tode jure continue indefinitely. The special session ran concurrently through the 2025 session, which ran from January 8 to February 22, 2025. On October 23, 2025, Speaker Don Scott called the General Assembly back to continue the special session on October 28 for the purpose of initiating a constitutional amendment allowing formid-decade legislative redistricting of congressional districts.[2]
DelegateDon Scott, who was the minority leader of the House of Delegates in the previous General Assembly and won re-election, was nominated for speaker on November 11, 2023 by the incoming Democratic caucus. If voted into office, he would become the first House speaker of African descent in Virginia history,[3] and the third person of African descent to preside over either house, after lieutenant governorsJustin Fairfax andWinsome Sears in their roles as presidents of the State Senate.Charniele Herring was elected Majority Leader andKathy Tran as Caucus Chair. Republicans elected former speakerTodd Gilbert as Minority Leader (defeating a challenge fromTerry Kilgore),Amanda Batten as Caucus Chair, andMichael Webert as Whip.[4]
In the Senate, due to the retirements of Democratic leaderDick Saslaw and Republican leaderTommy Norment, elections were held for leadership of both Senate caucuses.
Constitutional amendments, under Virginia law, must be initiated by majorities in both houses in two consecutive legislatures before being sent to voters for approval.
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