Senator Richard L. Saslaw, Senate Majority Leader – 35th District

Senator Richard L. Saslaw is the longest serving member of the Senate of VA and currently is the Senate Majority Leader. He represents the 35th District, which includes the City of Falls Church, parts of Fairfax County and parts of the City of Alexandria. Senator Saslaw chairs the Senate Commerce and Labor committee, and is a senior-ranking member of the following committees: Senate Education and Health, Senate Judiciary, Senate Rules, and Senate Finance and Appropriations. He also serves as the chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Subcommittee on K-12 Education. Additionally, Leader Saslaw serves on numerous commissions, including the Governor's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, the Committee on District Courts, the Joint Subcommittee on Early Childhood Care and Education, the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation, the Commission on Employee Retirement Security and Pension Reform, the Health Insurance Reform Commission, the Joint Subcommittee on the Future Competitiveness of Virginia: Higher Education, the Virginia Commission on Joint Rules: Intergovernmental Cooperation, the Joint Subcommittee on Local Government Fiscal Stress, the MEI Project Approval Commission, and the Joint Subcommittee to Evaluate Tax Preferences.

Senator Janet Howell, 32nd District

Janet Howell has been Virginia's State Senator since 1992 and is one of the Commonwealth’s most influential leaders.  She is second in seniority and the longest serving female Virginia Senator. She is also the first woman to chair the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, and serves on the Courts of Justice, Education and Health, Privileges and Elections, and Rules Committees, and is a Senate budget conferee. 

Senator Howell is credited with major legal reforms. She headed the overhaul of Virginia’s family violence laws.  She led efforts to protect children from sexual predators. Virginia has genetic information privacy legislation due to her efforts.  She spearheaded the mental health law reform in the Senate following the Virginia Tech tragedy. Education, children, and families have always been the Senator's top priorities.
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Her work has been widely praised and honored.  The American Academy of Pediatrics named her their National Child Advocate of the Year.  The Virginia Sheriffs have repeatedly called her Senator of the Year.  Numerous human services organizations, including the Virginia Interfaith Center, have also given her awards.