HD25 - Report of the Joint Subcommittee Studying Legislative Management

  • Published: 1984
  • Author: Joint Subcommittee Studying Legislative Management
  • Enabling Authority: House Joint Resolution 83 (Regular Session, 1983)

Executive Summary:
House Joint Resolution No. 83, agreed to during the 1983 General Assembly Session, requested that a joint subcommittee study and analyze the legislative process for ways to lighten the work of the committees, increase public access to committee deliberations, make use of cost-effective technology, and improve the flow of legislative business.

Each year the Virginia legislature is confronted with numerous bills and resolutions, covering important and complex issues. With an ever-increasing volume of legislation to consider, the General Assembly found it necessary to pass House Joint Resolution No. 83 in 1983 authorizing a study on the legislative process for ways to improve the efficiency of the legislature.

The legislature has made tremendous strides in recent years toward improving all aspects of the legislative process. One important aspect, citizen participation, has greatly improved in the last decade. The deliberations of the legislature and its standing committees have been more accessible to citizens of the Commonwealth since the enactment of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in 1968. Amendments made during the 1977 Session to that Act removed legislative standing, interim and study committees from the exemption provision in the Act. Standing committee meetings are scheduled and publicized at the beginning of each session. However, problems do arise with the scheduling and notice of subcommittee meetings during the session. General Assembly members and members of the public often do not receive adequate notice of subcommittee meetings.

The number of bills and resolutions introduced during recent sessions has increased to the point where it presents most committees with heavy dockets and workloads. During the 1982 General Assembly Session, 1743 bills and resolutions were introduced, and in 1983, a short session, 1530 pieces of legislation were considered. With few exceptions, legislation is not considered by either house until it has been reported by a standing committee. A backlog of committee work naturally leads to a "last minute crunch" on the floor.

In preparation from this study, the subcommittee members became familiar with the work of the Commission on the Legislative Process. That Commission was originally established pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution No. 20, passed during the 1968 General Assembly Session. The Commission produced several reports dating from 1969 to 1976. Pamphlets and magazine articles pertaining to effective legislative and committee management were also considered by the members.