The Senate of Virginia was created by the 1776
Constitution of Virginia, and originally consisted of twenty-four members. Along with the
House of Delegates, the Senate comprised a new bicameral legislature designed to replace the colonial
Virginia House of Burgesses, which formally dissolved on May 6, 1776. The Senate replaced the legislative functions of the appointed
Virginia Council of State. Pursuant to the original Virginia Constitution, the Senate was only permitted to file amendments, while the House of Delegates had the power to propose bills. Accordingly, the Senate had far less power than the House, until the revised Virginia constitution of 1851 allowed the Senate to propose new laws. In the
2007 elections, the
Democratic Party reclaimed the majority in the Senate for the first time since 1995, when the
Republican Party gained a 20–20 split. The Republicans took control of the Senate for the first time in history after a January 1998 special election. The
2011 elections resulted in a 20–20 split between the parties, but as the tie breaker was Republican lieutenant governor
Bill Bolling, the Republicans effectively regained control. After the
2013 elections, Democratic state senator
Ralph Northam became the lieutenant governor, but the Democrats did not regain control of the chamber until January 28, 2014, following a series of special elections including that of Northam's vacated 6th district seat. The Democratic majority would prove short-lived, however, as Senator
Phil Puckett (D-38th) resigned, effective June 8, handing the GOP a majority of 20 to 19. The Republicans solidified their majority following a special election win on August 19, 2014, which increased their total number of seats to 21. The Democratic Party regained control of Senate after the 2019 election and new members were sworn into office on January 8, 2020. As the legislative session opened,
L. Louise Lucas was elected as the first female and first African American president pro tempore. ==Salary and qualifications==