The General Assembly shall provide for the employment of secretaries and administrative assistants for the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Majority and Minority Floor Leaders of the House of Delegates and Senate and members of the General Assembly to aid in the performance of duties incidental to the legislative process. Allowances for such secretaries and assistants shall be provided as set forth in the general appropriations act. Such allowances shall not be utilized for political purposes and shall be further conditioned upon such limitations and restrictions as shall be set forth in the general appropriations act. The session day per diem for each administrative assistant shall equal the amount authorized for members of the General Assembly as set forth in the general appropriations act.
The General Assembly shall provide for the employment of such clerks, counsel and other staff personnel for each of the standing committees as are approved by the Rules Committee of the appropriate house.
No member of the immediate family of a member of the General Assembly shall be eligible to receive any sum authorized under the provisions of this section. For the purpose of this section the spouse, parent, child, brother or sister of the member shall be considered a member of the immediate family.