An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 27 of Title 2.2
an article numbered 7, consisting of sections numbered 2.2-2720 through 2.2-2724,
relating to the Center for Rural Virginia.
[H 1213]
Approved April 15, 2004
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 27 of Title
2.2 an article numbered 7, consisting of sections numbered 2.2-2720 through
2.2-2724, as follows:
Article 7.
The Center for Rural Virginia.
§
2.2-2720. The Center for Rural Virginia; purpose.
The Center for Rural Virginia, hereinafter referred to as "the
Center," is hereby created as an independent local entity without
political subdivision status, for the purpose of sustaining economic
growth in the rural areas of the Commonwealth.
§ 2.2-2721. Center for Rural Virginia Board of Trustees established;
membership;
terms; vacancies; chairman, vice chairman, secretary and
other officers as necessary; quorum; meetings.
A. The Center shall be governed by a board of trustees consisting of
18 members that include six legislative members and 12 nonlegislative
citizen members to be appointed as follows: four members of the House
of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates
in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained
in the Rules of the House of Delegates; two members of the Senate, to
be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; six nonlegislative citizen
members to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; four
nonlegislative citizen members to be appointed by the Senate Committee
on Rules; and two nonlegislative citizen members to be appointed by the
Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Nonlegislative
citizen members of the Board shall be citizens of the Commonwealth of
Virginia.
B. Legislative members shall serve terms coincident with their terms
of office. Initial appointments of nonlegislative citizen members shall
be staggered as follows: four members for a term of three years appointed
by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; two members for a term of two
years appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; and one member for
a term of two years appointed by the Governor. Thereafter, nonlegislative
citizen members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates or
the Senate Committee on Rules shall be appointed for a term of two years,
and nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor shall be
appointed for a term of four years. Appointments to fill vacancies, other
than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. All members
may be reappointed. However, no nonlegislative citizen member appointed
by the Speaker of the House of Delegates or the Senate Committee on Rules
shall serve more than four consecutive two-year terms, and no nonlegislative
citizen member appointed by the Governor shall serve more than two consecutive
four-year terms. The remainder of any term to which a member is appointed
to fill a vacancy shall not constitute a term in determining the member's
eligibility for reappointment. Vacancies shall be filled in the same
manner as the original appointments.
C. The Board of Trustees shall elect a chairman, vice chairman, secretary,
and such other officers as may be necessary from among its membership.
A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of
the Board shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority
of the members so request.
§ 2.2-2722. Compensation; expenses.
Legislative members of the Board shall receive such compensation as
provided in
§ 30-19.12, and nonlegislative citizen members shall
receive such compensation for the performance of their duties as provided
in § 2.2-2813. All members shall be reimbursed
for reasonable and
necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided
in §§ 2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. Funding for the costs of compensation
and expenses of the members shall be provided from such funds as may
be available to
the Center.
§ 2.2-2723. Powers and duties of the Board of Trustees and the
Center.
A. The Board of Trustees shall have the following powers and duties:
1. Manage, control, maintain, and operate the Center;
2. Establish the Center as a nonstock corporation exempt from taxation
pursuant to
§ 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code to perform
the duties and responsibilities set out in this section;
3. Establish bylaws as may be necessary for the governance and conduct
of business of the Board;
4. Employ and establish the qualifications and duties, and fix salaries
and compensation of staff of the Center from such funds as may be available
to the Center;
5. Seek federal funds available to state rural development councils,
pursuant to the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, P.L.
107-171;
6. Seek, accept, administer, and expend gifts, grants, donations, bequests,
and any other funds on behalf of the Center to support and facilitate
its work;
7. Accept, administer, and expend donations, bequests, or devises of
real and personal property for the endowment of the Center or for any
special purpose designated by the donor that is consistent with the purposes
of the Center set forth in this article;
8. Have, in addition to its other powers, all the corporate powers given
to corporations by the provisions of Title 13.1. The Board shall also
have the power to accept, execute, and administer any trust in which
it may have an interest under the terms of the instrument creating the
trust;
9. Enter into contracts with respect to the duties and responsibilities
imposed upon the Center herein;
10. Report annually concerning the status, needs, and accomplishments
of the Center to the Governor and the General Assembly; and
11. Perform any lawful acts necessary or appropriate to carry out the
purposes of
this article.
B. The Center shall have the following powers and duties:
1. Develop a broad-based constituency to advocate for the interests
of rural Virginia in the formulation of the Commonwealth's public policies;
2. Coordinate and facilitate research on rural issues and analyze the
effect of public policies and private sector interests on rural communities;
3. Prepare a detailed analysis of rural Virginia economies annually
for submission to the Board, together with feasible and appropriate alternatives
designed to sustain economic growth in rural areas of the Commonwealth;
4. Facilitate public-private investments in the infrastructure of rural
Virginia;
5. Develop programs designed to train local elected officials and community
leaders for effective leadership in rural communities;
6. Foster innovative strategies that promote the development and prosperity
of rural communities in the Commonwealth;
7. Provide for the collection, organization, storage, and dissemination
of documents, data, and other information concerning issues relevant
to the needs and continuous development of Virginia's rural areas, including
technical and research assistance to rural localities in the development
and implementation of their strategic plans;
8. Identify potential public and private resources for the Board's consideration
and review that may be used to generate additional funds to support and
facilitate the Center's work and foster the development of rural communities;
9. Submit to the Board of Trustees such reports regarding the Center's
work, including, but not limited to, programs, activities, policy analyses,
and financial statements, as may be requested by the Board; and
10. Perform such other acts as may be necessary to accomplish the objectives
of
this article.
§ 2.2-2724. Staffing.
The Board shall employ an executive director and such other persons
as it deems necessary to assist it in performing its duties as set forth
in this article, and, at its pleasure, remove such employees. The Board
shall determine the duties of all staff and fix the salaries and compensation
of such persons within the amounts allocated therefor from such funds
as may be available to the Board.
