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Don Scott reelected speaker as Virginia House organizes for 2026 session
Summary
At the House’s organizational session, Don Scott of Portsmouth was reelected and sworn in as Speaker; Paul Nardo was reelected and sworn as Clerk; the chamber adopted House Resolution 6 (rules, as amended), agreed scheduling resolutions and announced committee assignments and a temporary recess.
Don Scott was reelected speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and sworn in after the House held its organizational proceedings on the opening day of the 2026 session. Members-elect were certified by the Department of Elections, recited the oath of office and signed their oaths before the House moved through nominations, votes, and committee appointments.
Delegate Tran formally nominated Don Scott of Portsmouth for speaker, citing his service in uniform and his record as an attorney and community representative; Delegate McLaughlin seconded the nomination. After nominations were closed and members voted on the electronic board, the Clerk declared Don Scott duly elected. The oath for speaker was administered by Chief Justice Cleo E. Powell, after which Scott addressed the chamber, urging disciplined, respectful deliberation and saying, “This is the people’s house, and together, let’s get back to work.”
The House also reelected Paul Nardo as Clerk. Delegate Willard nominated Nardo, praising his long service and organizational skills, and Delegate O’Quinn seconded. The House recorded the clerk’s election with an aye vote (98–0 as announced for the clerk vote), and Nardo took the oath of office.
On rules and scheduling, the Clerk reported House Resolution 6, establishing the House rules for the 2026–2027 session. Delegate Simon offered a floor amendment to restore language used in 2022 that, according to his remarks, provides more flexibility in how the House handles recommendations from the governor. The body agreed to the floor amendment by voice vote and then adopted the resolution as amended in a recorded vote (ayes 98, no 0). Delegate Herring was directed to advise the Senate that the House is organized and ready to proceed.
The House adopted House Joint Resolution 29, which sets deadlines and procedures for joint assemblies and clarifies continuity between the 2026 and 2027 sessions, and House Resolution 30, setting a schedule for the 2027 prefiling period. Delegate Herring also asked for and received unanimous consent to allow members-elect to introduce up to 10 bills after the prefiling deadline, an accommodation the delegate said would help members affected by recent special elections.
Speaker Scott announced committee assignments across standing committees, listing chairs, vice chairs and members; the full written list was made available in the chamber and in rear-of-chamber materials. The House then stood in recess until 3:50 p.m. to allow the Committee on Privileges and Elections to meet.
The ceremonial and procedural actions of the session included: certification from the Department of Elections under Code sections cited on the record, oaths for members and officers, adoption of rules and scheduling resolutions, and the release of committee rosters — all preparatory steps for the regular legislative work that will follow.
