Saturday, January 23, 2010
Parties, but no partying, in Capitol
The country's oldest state legislature is formal compared with other states'.
General Assembly 2011
Among the major issues: The state's continuing efforts to provide services with fewer dollars and Gov. McDonnell's plan to privatize liquor stores. Session ends Feb. 26.
The latest
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- Gilbert expresses regret for abortion remarks
- Senate rebuffs McDonnell, rejects teacher contract change
From today's paper
- Va. House passes abortion-related bills
- Newspaper ad bills OK'd by House, head to Senate
- Follow state and local political coverage from The Roanoke Times
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RICHMOND -- Susan Clark Schaar, the clerk of the Virginia State Senate, remembers the first time she visited her counterparts in Oregon.
There was a piano in the Senate chambers.
She was horrified.
"I'm sitting there, and finally I had to raise my hand," Schaar said. "I said, 'Judy, there's a piano in here.' "
Yes, Oregon Secretary of the Senate Judy Hall told her. And there are often performers who come to play on it, and sing, and once, the state championship cheerleaders came in and did some cheers for the legislators.
Hall's Virginia visitors sat there appalled, Schaar said. "That was just so alien."
In the Old Dominion, you see, there is legislative decorum. And it does not allow for cheerleaders.
The General Assembly is back in session, and that means legions of eager new staffers, legislators and lobbyists must learn to navigate the protocol that governs the oldest state legislature in the country.
Staffers: Don't think you can just walk up and whisper to your senator or delegate during a floor session. Where do you think you are, the U.S. Capitol? This is Virginia. No can do.
And senators -- sorry, you can't just stop that reporter passing by you on the floor to chit-chat. Take it outside.
And reporters: Sure, those interior aisles on the Senate floor may be the quickest way to the press area, but they are not for your feet. Go around!
The cultures of legislative bodies vary widely from state to state, and even from chamber to chamber. Virginia's General Assembly is typical in that the Senate is the more starched and demure body, while the House is a bit rowdier.
Much of that culture is driven by tradition, which is part of why the Virginia General Assembly -- which traces its pedigree back to the legislative assembly at Jamestown, founded in 1619 --might be a little stiffer than many others.
West Virginia allows weddings to take place in its state Capitol building. In Utah, they host proms.
"I would die," said House of Delegates Clerk Bruce Jamerson -- although Virginia does allow businesses to host cocktail parties in the Capitol.
It's not that other states don't have rules -- they do, said Brenda Erickson, an analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures. And on paper, many states' rules look the same. But it's all a matter of enforcement, she said.
"Virginia has a very strong tradition, like a couple of other states, where it's very gentlemanly," she said.
This legislature is always conscious of its history. School groups watching floor sessions from the gallery might occasionally be welcomed to "Mr. Jefferson's Capitol," a reference, of course, to Thomas Jefferson, who designed the building in which the General Assembly is currently housed and who served as both delegate and governor.
Longtime staffers say the rules might seem stuffy, but they help remind lawmakers to respect the serious undertaking that is the peoples' business.
"Those guidelines make you stop and think about the history and some of the traditions and the people who've served in this body," Schaar said.
Besides, she said, at least this isn't Australia. There, the Senate clerks just recently stopped wearing wigs.
