2009 Legislative Session
The 2009 Regular Session will convene Wednesday, January 14, 2009.
Contacting Your Legislator
As a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, one of your greatest responsibilities is to help elect the legislators
who represent all Virginians. There are a number of online resources available on the Virginia General Assembly website
to assist you in taking an active role in the legislative process:
Know who your legislators are and how to contact
them. If you don't know who represents you, you
can find out by using Who's
My Legislator. In addition, a biographical page on each delegate and senator is available
from the General Assembly's homepage.
Contact your representative about a particular issue before the Legislature takes action on it.
Using the Legislative Information System, you can track
legislation and review committee agendas prior to a meeting.
You can even testify
before committees on issues important to you.
Civil Rights Memorial Unveiled on Capitol Square
On July 21, 2008, The Virginia Civil Rights Memorial was unveiled on Capitol Square. The Memorial is a privately financed, $2.6 million granite and bronze statue. It is the first statue on the
grounds of the historic Capitol to include depictions of blacks and women in prominent roles.
Many citizens and speakers attended the unveiling of the Civil Rights Memorial on Capitol Square.
The 18-figure sculpture—called a "living memorial" by sculptor Stanley Bleifeld—is meant to represent a key moment in the history of the civil-rights movement in Virginia. The new Memorial spotlights the African-American students in rural Prince Edward County whose 1951 walkout to protest their run-down school led to a lawsuit that was folded into the challenge that triggered
the 1954 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court banning segregated public schools.
Among the figures on the Memorial is Oliver W. Hill, Sr. holding a rumpled legal brief aloft as he stands shoulder to shoulder with law partner Spottswood W. Robinson III. They
took on the case of the Prince Edward County students who protested the shabby condition of their school. Barbara Johns was the one who called the school strike in 1951 and she is also featured. The
student protests garnered support from the local community, benefiting from the moral leadership of the Rev. L. Francis Griffin, who is also a part of the memorial.
Meriwether Lewis bust now on display
Unveiling of the bust of Meriwether Lewis in the Old House Chamber on August 18, 2008
A ceremony was held August 18, 2008, at the Capitol to unveil a bust of Meriwether Lewis. Two of Meriwether Lewis' great, great, great nephews unveiled the bust of the explorer. The gift is
housed in the Old House Chamber. The 1932 General Assembly specifically authorized a bust of Lewis to be displayed there.
Lewis was born near Charlottesville in Albemarle County 234 years ago on August 18. The wife of his partner, William Clark, was from Fincastle.
Lewis served as private secretary to President Thomas Jefferson before becoming co-leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition and Governor of the Louisiana Territory.
Bell Tower undergoes Renovation
The newly restored Bell Tower as seen from 9th and Franklin Streets.
As it approaches its 200th anniversary in 2024, the Bell Tower is undergoing restoration efforts to prevent further crumbling of its bricks and mortar. The Bell tower, on the
western edge of Capitol Square, currently houses a Virginia Tourism office.
The Bell Tower was originally built to house the Capitol Guards. In its early days, the bell was rung to alert residents to fires and other emergencies and during the Civil War
was used to summon local soldiers to duty. The original bell was removed prior to 1900 and given to a local fire company. In the early 1930s, another bell was installed to be rung daily to call the
General Assembly into session. Legislation also requires public rallies on Capitol Square to take place at the Bell Tower.
Over the years, the Bell Tower also has served as a gunsmith shop and offices for state employees, including former Sen. Charles S. Robb when he was Lieutenant Governor. The first
floor has housed a visitor’s center since the early 1980s, which is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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