Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award.

• Position: John Chichester receives State Legislative Leadership Foundation award - Brief Article

President Pro Tempore of the Virginia Senate John Chichester received the nation's top state legislative honor--the 2005 Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award.

Each year, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the State Legislative Leadership Foundation honor a leader who has shown a commitment to protecting and strengthening the institution of the state legislature.

"Senator Chichester embodies the qualities of a truly great leader," said NCSL Executive Director William Pound. "His integrity, his vision, and his ability to unify, even in arduous times, make him an icon of effective diplomacy."

Chichester's nominators point to his courage in championing a restructuring of the tax code to reform Virginia's...