Bio
On January 8, 2003, Bill Howell was sworn in as the 54th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. He leads a nearly 400-year old institution, the oldest continuously elected law-making body in the New World. First elected a delegate in 1987, he represents the 28th House District which includes parts of Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg.
Speaker Howell performs a number of important duties as presiding officer of the 100-member chamber. He assigns all bills to House committees and appoints the chairmen and all members of each of the 14 standing committees of the House. The Speaker names delegates to all House-Senate conference committees, including the one for the biennial state budget, and appoints lawmakers and citizens to various state boards and commissions. Speaker Howell is the chairman of the House Rules Committee and the Joint House-Senate Rules Committee.
