Senate of VirginiaParliament

The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Composed of 40 senators elected for four-year terms and presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, its constitutional mandate is to enact state legislation, draft and pass the biennial commonwealth budget, confirm gubernatorial appointments, and conduct impeachment trials. Formally established under Virginia's inaugural state constitution in 1776 following the dissolution of the colonial Governor's Council during the American Revolution, the Senate shares direct legislative lineage with the 1619 House of Burgesses at Jamestown, forming part of the oldest continuous lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere.