The House of Delegates is the lower chamber of the Virginia General Assembly with 100 members elected for terms of two years, and is presided over by the Speaker of the House who is elected by the delegates. The House shares legislative power with the Senate of Virginia, the upper chamber of the General Assembly. The House of Delegates is descended from the Virginia House of Burgesses which first met at Jamestown in 1619 and was modeled after the English House Commons in Parliament, making ith the "oldest continous legislative body in the New World." The House meets in the Capitol Building designed by Thomas Jefferson. Legislative bills can originate in the House or Senate, with both chambers having the ablility to establish study committees. Both chambers of the General Assembly serve as a check upon the other "to ensure a thorough debate on merits of each bill." The General Assembly meets annualy beginning on the second Wednesday in January for sixty days in even-numbered years and for thirty days in odd numbered years, with an option to extend annual sessions for a maximum of thirty days. Legislation discussed at the January 13 to March 13, 1982 session of the Virginia House of Delegates included, the state budget, laws in regard to alcholic beverages, unemployment compensation, education standards, sales and use taxes, revising of the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Equal Rights Amendment, and income tax. Sources: Virginia House of Delegates. Ballotpedia. Virginia House of Delegates. Wikipedia. A Guide to the Recordings of the Virginia House of Delegates Sessions: A Collection in the Library of Virginia. "House Bills, Joint Resolutions and Resolutions Introduced at the 1982 Session." Journal of the House of Delegates of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1982 Regular Session. Vol. 2. 1982. pp. 1869-1909.

Note written by Kathleen Smith