The second, or upper, chamber of the Virginia General Assembly. The Virginia Senate is composed of 40 Senators and is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. The lieutenant governor, unlike the Vice President of the United States in the United States Senate, presides daily over the Virginia Senate. In the lieutenant governor's absence, a president pro tempore presides, usually a powerful member of the majority party. The Senate is coequal with the House of Delegates, the lower chamber of the legislature, except that taxation bills must originate in the House, just like in the US Congress. The Senate has its own coat of arms granted by the College of Arms in England.
