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Opening day: prayer, visitors and Delegate Watts praises Governor Spanberger’s 'pilgrimage of progress'
Summary
Opening proceedings included a pastoral invocation, dozens of visiting delegations (NAACP, funeral directors, college leaders, nursing students, democracy advocates), caucus announcements and a lengthy floor tribute from Delegate Watts praising Governor Spanberger as the Commonwealth's first woman governor.
RICHMOND — The Virginia House of Delegates opened its Jan. 20, 2026, session with a pastoral invocation, the pledge of allegiance and a series of formal introductions welcoming visiting delegations to the gallery, including the NAACP Virginia State Conference, the Virginia Funeral Directors Association, nonprofit private college presidents, nursing students and democracy advocates.
Pastor Greg Rogers of Grace Memorial Baptist Church in Bedford led the opening prayer, urging wisdom for lawmakers and citing James 1:5 and Psalm 121. The pledge of allegiance was led on the floor by Delegate Herring (Alexandria).
Delegates used the morning hour to highlight scheduled caucus and committee activity and to introduce groups visiting the Capitol. Delegate Wilt (Rockingham) announced the Conservative Energy Caucus would meet the next morning with speakers from Dominion and Appalachian Power, framed around energy affordability for ratepayers. Delegate McQuinn (Henrico) invited colleagues to the 2026 cancer caucus meeting and reception on Jan. 23. Delegate Ryan (Rockingham) and others introduced representatives of the Virginia Funeral Directors Association and private college and university leaders who came to the Capitol to advocate for Virginia's Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG).
In a sustained floor address, Delegate (Fairfax) Delegate Watts reflected on the inauguration of Governor Spanberger and the milestone of the Commonwealth's first woman governor. "I would like to take a few moments to honor in this woman who has become the first woman governor of Virginia, of the Commonwealth," Watts said, noting the lineage of women leaders and referencing "a pilgrimage of progress" and "a pilgrimage of prosperity" from the governor's remarks. Watts also recounted the long arc of women's representation in the chamber and urged colleagues to recognize the history and opportunity represented by the new administration.
Clerks and staff also announced committee schedules for the day and the following morning, and the House proceeded to a set of procedural motions for adjournment and reconvening. The session adjourned to reconvene the following day at noon, as moved and agreed on the floor.
What happens next: Several caucuses and subcommittees listed on the morning calendar will meet over the next two days; the Conservative Energy Caucus kickoff and the cancer caucus reception were highlighted as early events for lawmakers and outside groups.
