Civil Government of Virginia | Page 7

is
not appointed.
IMPEACHMENT means a charge of dishonesty or serious neglect of
duty made against a public official. In an impeachment it is the House
of Delegates which must make the charge and act as prosecutor, but it
is the Senate which must try the case and pass sentence on the accused,
if proved guilty.
House of Delegates.
Number. Composed of one hundred members apportioned by statute
among the counties and cities of the State.
Elected. By the people for two years.
Qualifications. Same as for Senators.
Powers. Elects its own Speaker and all other officers; impeaches State
officers, and prosecutes them before the Senate. The Clerk of the House
of Delegates is also Keeper of the Rolls.
Apportioned means divided or distributed or allotted. A statute is any
law, but the word is most commonly understood to mean a law made
by a legislature representing the people. The number of delegates
appointed to the counties and cities--that is, the number which each is
entitled to elect--is decided by statute in proportion to the number of
inhabitants.
The chairman of the House of Delegates is called the speaker. The
same title is given to the presiding officer of the lower house in nearly
every legislature in English-speaking countries.
The rolls are the statutes in written form as passed by the Assembly. A
law when proposed in the Assembly is called a bill. To become a
statute a bill must be voted on and have a majority three times in the
House of Delegates and three times in the Senate and be signed by the
governor. Then it is an act, or a Statute, or a law. The copy signed by
the governor is an engrossed or written copy, and the official copies of

the laws so engrossed are the rolls, and are preserved by the keeper of
the rolls, who is the clerk of the House of Delegates.
General Assembly. (Senate and House jointly.)
Sessions. Biennial. Beginning the second Wednesday in January of
every even year, and continuing sixty days. The session may be
extended not exceeding thirty days. It may be convened in special
session by the Governor.
The Senate and House of Delegates jointly--that is, both together --are
called the General Assembly. Sessions means sittings or meetings for
business, and biennial means happening once every two years. The
General Assembly meets once every two years, and it does business for
sixty days. If the business necessary to be done require more time, the
session may be extended--that is, lengthened--thirty days. A special
session is a session convened-- that is, called to meet--for some special
or particular business. The governor may convene such a session
whenever he thinks it necessary.
Powers. General powers of legislation under the constitution. Elects U.
S. Senators, County and City Electoral Boards, Auditor of Public
Accounts, Second Auditor, Register of the Land Office, Superintendent
of Public Printing, the Judges of the Commonwealth; decides contests
in the election of Governor and Lieutenant- Governor; confirms or
rejects nominations of certain officers made by the Governor, the State
Board of Education, etc.
Powers means what the General Assembly has power to do. Legislation
is the making of laws. The Assembly has powers of general legislation
under the constitution--that is, of making all such laws as the
constitution directs or does not forbid. (Explanations are given later on
as to the boards and officers mentioned here which the General
Assembly has power to elect.)
Contests--that is, disputes or differences--may occur in the election of
governor and lieutenant-governor. There may be contests as to counting
of votes or as to the qualifications of candidates. Such contests are
decided by the General Assembly.
Membership. Each house settles its own rules of proceeding; is judge of
the election, qualification, and returns of its members. Members are not
subject to arrest under any civil process during the session of the
General Assembly, nor for fifteen days next before the convening, and

after the termination of each session; are privileged from arrest in all
cases during the session, except for treason, felony, perjury, breach of
the peace, or a contempt of court of a criminal nature.
What is meant by each house being judge of the election, qualification,
and returns of its members is, that it can decide whether the members
are legally elected and qualified. Returns are the particulars as to names
of candidates and the number of votes cast for each, which the election
judges are required to make up after the close of the poll on election
day. The qualifications necessary for a member of either house are as
follows: he must be twenty-one years of age or over, and a voter of the
State of Virginia, and he must reside in the district for which he is
elected.
Civil process