The Virginia House of Delegates recessed Wednesday without adopting rules for the 2020-2021 General Assembly, historically the first order of business. The Rules are the framework that allows the House to smoothly conduct the people’s business and protect the integrity of the institution. The House of Delegates adopted fair and transparent rules on the first day of session every two years for the last two decades. The incoming majority has yet to even release its proposed rules.

“Over the last two decades, the House has established an on-time, bipartisan framework under which the House can operate for the two-year period between House elections,” said House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert. “To date, House Republicans have received no indication about what the new majority’s Rules will include, and it is now evident that the House will be at least a day behind schedule for the 2020 General Assembly Session, wasting precious taxpayer dollars.”

“We have 60 days to produce a budget that will appropriate more than $125 billion over two years,” said House Republican Caucus Chair Kathy Byron. “With today’s leadership failure, we’ve wasted nearly 2 percent of that time. Virginians deserve better. If today’s failure to organize is any indication of how Democrats will manage this chamber as the majority, I am deeply concerned for our Commonwealth.”

“It is now clear that, on the first day of Session, the House Rules nor committee assignments will be completed and we’re already behind schedule,” said House Republican Whip Jay Leftwich. “House Democrats have known since the evening of November 5th that they would be in control of the House of Delegates today. This does not bode well for the timely completion of the Commonwealth’s business, as tasked to do by the voters of Virginia.”