Susan Clarke Schaar, Clerk of the Senate
Senate of Virginia, P.O. Box 396, Richmond, VA 23218
The Clerk is the chief administrative officer for the Senate of Virginia. The 40-member body elects a Clerk of the Senate to serve a four-year term and continues in office until another is chosen. Duties with which the Clerk is tasked include the following: overseeing the daily operations of the Senate, maintaining all Senate records, keeping the daily Journal, referring bills to committees, overseeing personnel, coordinating information technology needs, and managing facilities. In addition, the Clerk of the Senate serves on boards and commissions such as the Virginia Capitol Foundation and Capitol Square Preservation Council.
Personnel within the Senate Clerk's Office have the distinct privilege to serve the oldest, continuous English-speaking legislative assembly in the western hemisphere. Our mission is to enable the Senate of Virginia to function effectively as a representative, deliberative, law-making body. It is also our goal to give the citizens of Virginia a better understanding of the legislative process with prompt and professional service.The Clerk’s Office is responsible for the work of the Senate in the following areas:
- administrative support
- budget
- civic education
- committee administration
- constituent services
- facilities management
- fiscal management
- information systems
- organization
- personnel
- purchasing
- records management
- research
- food services
The Senate Clerk’s Office is proud to offer engaging and dynamic education programs such as the Senate Page Leadership Program, administered by the Clerk of the Senate, and Virginia Capital Semester, an college internship offered through a partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University. Both programs are available during the months in which the regular session of Virginia’s General Assembly is in session. In the interim, the Clerk’s office welcomes students participating in Virginia’s Model General Assembly to the Capitol.