SJ339: Constitutional amendment; legislative and organizational sessions of General Assembly (1st ref.).

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 339
Offered January 10, 2007
Prefiled January 5, 2007
Proposing an amendment to Section 6 of Article IV of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to legislative sessions and organizational sessions.
Patron-- Devolites Davis

Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, a majority of the members elected to each house agreeing, That the following amendment to the Constitution of Virginia be, and the same hereby is, proposed and referred to the General Assembly at its first regular session held after the next general election of members of the House of Delegates for its concurrence in conformity with the provisions of Section 1 of Article XII of the Constitution of Virginia, namely:

Amend Section 6 of Article IV of the Constitution of Virginia as follows:

ARTICLE IV
LEGISLATURE

Section 6. Legislative sessions.

The General Assembly shall meet in an organizational session on the second Wednesday in December of each year or on another day in December designated in accordance with a joint rule of the General Assembly. The business of the organizational session shall be limited to the administration of the oath of office, the seating of members, the selection of officers of each house, the adoption of rules of procedure, the organization of committees, the confirmation of gubernatorial and other appointees, and the election of justices, judges, and other officers. The failure to confirm a gubernatorial appointee at an organizational session shall be deemed a refusal to confirm for the purposes of Section 11 of Article V unless the General Assembly states otherwise. The organizational session shall not continue longer than three days.

The General Assembly shall meet once each year in regular session on the second Wednesday in January. Except as herein provided for reconvened sessions, no regular session of the General Assembly convened in an even-numbered year shall continue longer than sixty days; no regular session of the General Assembly convened in an odd-numbered year shall continue longer than thirty days; but with the concurrence of two-thirds of the members elected to each house, any regular session may be extended for a period not exceeding thirty days. Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn to another place, nor for more than three days.

The Governor may convene a special session of the General Assembly when, in his opinion, the interest of the Commonwealth may require and shall convene a special session upon the application of two-thirds of the members elected to each house. The failure to confirm a gubernatorial appointee at a special session shall be deemed a refusal to confirm for the purposes of Section 11 of Article V unless the General Assembly states otherwise.

The General Assembly shall reconvene on the sixth Wednesday after adjournment of each regular or special session for the purpose of considering bills which may have been returned by the Governor with recommendations for their amendment and bills and items of appropriation bills which may have been returned by the Governor with his objections. No other business shall be considered at a reconvened session. Such reconvened session shall not continue longer than three days unless the session be extended, for a period not exceeding seven additional days, upon the vote of the majority of the members elected to each house.