‘The Senate was for the tea!’: A young reporter’s review of her first time covering Virginia’s General Assembly

As a budding reporter, every beat I cover is a whole new world! Come along with me to my first General Assembly session.

My first time covering Virginia’s General Assembly in person sort of felt like a holiday. 

It was earlier this month on “crossover,” the last day for bills to pass out of the Senate or House into the opposite chamber. As for me, I’m a budding reporter and I was excited to ….

Needless to say, it was a very busy day. Every lawmaker was locked in and ready to make history in the commonwealth. The energy was palpable. 

I was a bit nervous going into this new endeavor (since I fear government buildings and security and whatnot). 

My colleagues told me that I had nothing to worry about, and as it turns out, I didn’t need to fear! I had a great time at the General Assembly, and I’m excited to walk you through the day.

Arrival

Walking up, I was immediately struck by the enormous George Washington statue that sits just outside the Virginia State Capitol’s chambers. The Capitol Square is a beautiful place. In addition to the Washington statue, there are monuments to those who were enslaved during the country’s founding.

I met up with a fellow Dogwood reporter who joined me for the day. Together, we headed in to watch Virginia’s lawmakers in action.  

The Capitol building itself is also a sight to behold. Its monumental columns resemble the architecture of Washington, DC, so there was no mistaking that the building was significant. 

My fears of security were quelled when I met the workers of the Capitol because they were so nice. 

Fun fact: The General Assembly Building has a banging cafeteria. It’s one of the first things you see when you walk through the doors, and it could potentially be a good place to study and work.(if you’re curious, yes, I got a matcha latte, and it was very yummy).

Everyone in the building was super helpful and nice, and I was surprised to see how many locals there were too. In other words, the Capitol was extremely accessible and surprisingly open to the public. Anyone can tour the place, visit their local lawmakers, or even watch the session itself, which was exactly what I was about to do. 

The House

We started by watching the House’s regular session, which is where we talked to delegates on the House floor. Right before the day’s session officially begins many delegates get ready for their day by walking around the floor, chatting, and taking interviews from journalists. So, if you can’t catch them in the hallway, this is a good time to ask them questions. 

The regular session began with introductions for honorary guests—which was really special to witness—and an invocation for the day. But, all the action was supposed to go down in the Senate that day, so we quickly made our way across the hall for debates!

The Senate

Let me say, the vibes between the House and Senate are different. The House was very laid back, and the Senate was serious.

You aren’t allowed anywhere near the floor in the Senate without special permission, and the senators were a bit more formal with each other.

The Senate was for the tea! Honestly, I was expecting to be so bored during the debates, but they were anything but sleep-inducing. 

Another fun fact: Senators get sassy with each other. I was gripping my pearls at some of the things they were saying to one another. 

Other than the drama, I learned a lot about the bills they were discussing and got to see which senators ‘yayed’ or ‘nayed’ each bill in real-time. 

Wrapping Up

After watching both chambers meet, getting some footage on my phone, and conducting some interviews, the day was over just like that.

I had a few takeaways from the day:

• Senators can be shady with each other
• The General Assembly is not scary
• Local politics is much easier to understand in person
• The General Assembly is accessible and open to the public

Overall, I had a great time watching the GA session. And now that I have this experience under my belt, I plan on going back—perhaps, even by myself!