Civics Commission

§ 30-348. (Expires July 1, 2017) Commission on Civics Education; purpose; membership; terms.

The Commission on Civics Education (the Commission) is established in the legislative branch of state government. The purposes of the Commission are to (i) educate students on the importance of citizen involvement in a constitutional republic, (ii) promote the study of state and local government among the commonwealth's citizenry, and (iii) enhance communication and collaboration among organizations in the commonwealth that conduct civics education.

The Commission shall have a total membership of 15 members that shall consist of eight legislative members, six nonlegislative citizen members, and one ex officio member. Members shall be appointed as follows: five members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; three members of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; three nonlegislative citizen members, one of whom shall have a background in curriculum development, interactive learning, and multimedia technology, one of whom shall be a current or retired school civics teacher, and one of whom shall be a representative of an organization that promotes civic learning, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; and three nonlegislative citizen members, one of whom shall be a retired school civics teacher, one of whom shall be a representative of a public policy center of a public institution of higher education in the commonwealth, and one of whom shall be a representative of the Virginia Press Association, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. The Superintendent of Public Instruction or his designee shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the Commission shall be citizens of the commonwealth. Unless otherwise approved in writing by the chairman of the commission, the Clerk of the House of Delegates, and the Clerk of the Senate, nonlegislative citizen members shall only be reimbursed for travel originating and ending within the commonwealth for the purpose of attending meetings.

Legislative members and the ex officio member of the Commission shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for a term of two years. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Legislative members and nonlegislative citizen members may be reappointed. However, no nonlegislative citizen member shall serve more than four consecutive two-year terms. The remainder of any term to which a member is appointed to fill a vacancy shall not constitute a term in determining the member's eligibility for reappointment. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.

The Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership, who shall be members of the General Assembly.

2014, c. 562.

The Virginia Commission on Civics Education was established as a result of the passage of House Bill 1769 in March 2005. The purposes of the Commission on Civics Education include the education of students on the importance of citizen involvement in a representative democracy, the promotion of the study of state and local government among the commonwealth's citizenry, and the enhancement of communication and collaboration among organizations in the commonwealth that conduct civics education programs.

The commission is charged with developing and coordinating outreach programs in collaboration with schools to educate students on the importance of representative democracy as a process dependent on reasoned debate, good faith negotiation, and compromise. The commission also promotes educating students concerning individual involvement as a critical factor in community success, and that consideration of and respect for others must be shown when deliberating, negotiating, and advocating positions on public concerns.

Civics Summit

• 2020 Civics Summit (Word)
• 2019 Civics Summit
  • Opening Remarks -  Senator Dave Marsden, Chair
  • Analysis and Impact of General Assembly Election– Dr. Quentin Kidd  
  • Demographic Shift in Virginia-David Poole and Dr. Qian Cai 
  • Civic Education Resource Review-Nancy Rodrigues
  • 1619 and the Forging of American Democracy-Dr. James Horn  
• 2017 Civics Summit Schedule (Word)
  • Election Analysis – Dr. Bob Holsworth, DecideSmart, Dr. Quentin Kidd, Christopher Newport University
  • How Virginia Has Changed and How It Hasn’t – Dr. Steve Farnsworth, University of Mary Washington
  • Practical Civic Engagement for Teachers – Meg Heubeck, YLI & the Center for Politics
  • Civic Commission’s Definition of Service Learning & the Introduction to Case Study on Project-Based Education – Delegate Jim Dillard and Dr. Melanie Biermann
  • Using Data to Analyze the Political Landscape – David Poe, Virginia Public Access Project
  • Dorothy McAuliffe – First Lady of Virginia
  • The Importance of Civic Education in Today’s Society – Dr. Dietra Trent, Virginia Secretary of Education
• 2016 Civics Summit Schedule (PDF)
  • Resources for Teachers VPAP 2016 (PDF) – David Poole, Executive Director, Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP)
  • The Changing Landscape of Virginia Politics (PDF) – Dr. Stephen J. Farnsworth, Director, Center for Leadership and Media Studies, UMW
  • Civics Engagement K-12 (PDF) – Dr. Nancy J. H. Gansneder, Director, Academy for Civic Renewal, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, UVA
• 2015 Civics Summit Schedule (PDF)
• 2014 Civics Summit Schedule (PDF)
• 2012 Civics Summit Schedule (PDF)
• 2011 Civics Summit Schedule (PDF)

Civics Commission Meeting Materials

Civics Commission Reports

• Executive Summary of the Interim activity and work of the Commission on Civics Education 2016 (PDF)
• Executive Summary of the Interim activity and work of the Commission on Civics Education 2015 (PDF)
• Interim Report – December 2008 (PDF)
• Interim Report – November 2007 (PDF)
• Interim Report – July 2006 (PDF)
• Interim Report – December 2005 (PDF)