“Crossover Day” in the Virginia General Assembly is the legislative day of the session, where bills must pass out of their respective chambers to be considered by the other chamber. For example, bills passed by the House are considered by the Senate, and vice versa. After Crossover Day, no new bills may be introduced, passed, and moved. More information below.
A Primer: How does a bill move through the Virginia General Assembly to the governor’s desk for signature?
- Before or when the General Assembly convenes in January, a member of the House of Delegates or State Senate introduces an idea for legislation. This person is called the Chief Patron.
- Legislative Services then researches how the idea might impact the Code of Virginia (laws) and writes the idea into bill language and assigns the bill a number. The bill number will begin with SB for a Senate bill or HB for a House bill.
- The bill is then referred to a House or Senate committee, and sometimes a subcommittee. If the bill passes out of committee, it goes to the full House or Senate, where it is passed or defeated.
- As a bill moves through the House and Senate, changes are often made to the bill language. If there are differences between the House of Delegates and Senate, a Committee of Conference is created to resolve them.
- Once the differences are resolved, it goes to the governor for his or her signature or veto.
Crossover Day in the General Assembly is determined by the legislative calendar and is seven to ten days prior to the end of the session.
- Any legislation not passed through the entire process in the House or Senate is dead for the year.
- All legislation that has passed the State Senate will now go through the committee and voting process in the House of Delegates.
- All legislation that passed the House of Delegates will now go through the committee and voting process in the state Senate.
For more information on how a bill becomes a law in Virginia, click here.