Virginia House of Delegates speaker, Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, center, beckons the clerk to proceed during opening ceremonies in the Virginia House chambers at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Virginia House of Delegates speaker, Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, holds his son, Jack, prior to opening ceremonies in the Virginia House chambers at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
House majority leader Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Lee, left, talks to former speaker Eileen Filleer-Corn, D-Fairfax, prior to opening ceremonies in the Virginia Hour chambers at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
House of Delegates speaker-designate, Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, gestures during a new conference at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va. Gilbert is due to be sworn in and elected speaker when the 2022 session convenes.
House of Delegates speaker-designate, Del. Todd Gilbert, left, R-Shenandoah, gestures during a new conference at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va. Gilbert is due to be sworn in and elected speaker when the 2022 session convenes.
House of Delegates speaker-designate, Del. Todd Gilbert, , left, R-Shenandoah, gestures as he enters the room for a new conference at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va. Gilbert is due to be sworn in and elected speaker when the 2022 session convenes.
Virginia House of Delegates clerk, G. Paul Nardo, left, takes the oath of office from Virginia Supreme court Chief Justice, S. Bernard Goodwyn, center, as House speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, right, looks on during opening ceremonies in the Virginia House chambers at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Virginia House of Delegates speaker, Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, right, talks with majority leader Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Lee, prior to opening ceremonies in the Virginia House chambers at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Grant Gilbert, son of Virginia House of Delegates speaker, Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, top, takes a breather during his dad’s speech during opening ceremonies in the Virginia House chambers at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, center, who leaves office Saturday, arrives to deliver his final State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who leaves office Saturday, gestures as he delivers his final State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, bottom center, who leaves office Saturday, gestures as House Speaker Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, top center, Lt. Gov, Justin Fairfax, left, and Senate President Pro Tem, Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, look on as he delivers his final State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, bottom center, who leaves office Saturday, shakes the hand of House Speaker Del.Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, top center, as Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, left, and Senate President Pro Tem, Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, look on prior to Northam delivering his final State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who leaves office Saturday, waves as he prepares to deliver his final State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, front center, who leaves office Saturday, arrives to deliver his final State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol Wednesday Jan. 12, 2022, in Richmond, Va.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A newly empowered Republican majority assumed control of the Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday as the General Assembly opened its 2022 session under divided party control.
Members of the House and Democrat-controlled Senate will be meeting for 60 days to craft a two-year state budget and take up bills covering a range of sometimes conflicting priorities on issues including education, marijuana policy, public safety and voting rights.
The bipartisan dynamic and the compromise it will require will mark a dramatic shift from the past two years, when Democrats were in full control of state government. Republicans not only flipped the House in November but also won election to all three statewide offices. Bills that pass the General Assembly will head to the desk of incoming GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who will be sworn in Saturday.
“Our agenda for 2022 is a direct response to what we heard from voters on the campaign trail,” Del. Todd Gilbert, the new House speaker, said at a news conference. “Throughout the campaign, voters consistently told us they were worried about their children’s education, inflation was making it harder to take care of their families, and they wanted to see the safety of their communities improved.”
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, said they were ready to protect their party’s gains made in the past two years.
