HOUSE BILL NO. 1499 Offered January 17, 2008 A BILL to amend and reenact § 17.1-278 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the increase of court filing fees to fund legal aid services. ---------- Patron-- Kilgore ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 17.1-278 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 17.1-278. Additional fees in certain courts; use by Virginia State Bar.

In addition to the fees prescribed by § 16.1-69.48:2 and subdivision A 13 of § 17.1-275 and to be collected by the clerk of the circuit or general district court upon the filing of papers for the commencement of civil actions in such courts, the following additional fees shall be collected in all cities and counties in which civil legal representation is provided for the poor, without charge, by a nonprofit legal aid program organized under the auspices of the Virginia State Bar: (i) upon commencement of a civil action in such circuit court, an additional fee of $5 $10 and (ii) upon commencement of a civil action in such general district court, an additional fee of $5 $10.

The additional fees prescribed by this action shall be collected by the clerk at the time of the filing. The amounts so collected shall be paid by the clerk to the state treasury and credited as follows: (i) $4 $9 to a special fund within the Virginia State Bar fund to be designated the Legal Aid Services Fund, and (ii) $1 to the general fund for funding of the district courts of the Commonwealth. Such amount for the district courts shall be used to assist indigent litigants. Such amounts credited to the Legal Aid Services Fund shall be disbursed by the Virginia State Bar by check from the State Treasurer upon a warrant of the Comptroller to nonprofit legal aid programs organized under the auspices of the Virginia State Bar through the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia to assist in defraying the costs of such programs. However, the additional fees prescribed by this section shall not be collected in actions initiated by any local government or by the Commonwealth.

HOUSE BILL NO. 1500 Offered January 17, 2008 A BILL to amend and reenact § 2.2-2699.1, Article 33, of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Aerospace Advisory Council and the Directors of NASA Langley and NASA Wallops; appointments to same. ---------- Patron-- Lewis ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 2.2-2699.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 2.2-2699.1. (Expires July 1, 2010) Aerospace Advisory Council; purpose; membership; compensation; chairman.

A. The Aerospace Advisory Council (the Council) is established as an advisory council, within the meaning of § 2.2-2100, in the executive branch of state government. The purpose of the Council shall be to advise the Governor on policy and funding priorities to promote the aerospace and space exploration industry in the Commonwealth.

B. The Council shall have a total membership of 15 13 members that shall consist of four legislative members and 11 9 nonlegislative citizen members. Members shall be appointed as follows: three 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; one member of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and eleven nine nonlegislative citizen members, of whom one shall represent NASA Wallops Flight Facility, one shall represent NASA's Langley Research Center, one shall represent the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, one shall represent Old Dominion University, one shall represent Virginia Tech, to be appointed by the Governor. A representative of NASA Wallops Flight Facility and a representative of NASA’s Langley Research Center, both to be appointed by the Governor, shall be ex-officio liaisons to the Council, Legislative members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Other members shall be appointed for terms of two years. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. All members may be reappointed.

C. Legislative members of the Council shall receive such compensation as provided in § 30-19.12. Nonlegislative citizen members shall serve without compensation. All members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§ 2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. Funding for compensation and expenses of legislative members shall be provided by the operating budgets of the Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of the Senate upon approval of the Joint Rules Committee. Funding for the costs of expenses of the nonlegislative citizen members and all other expenses of the Council shall be provided by the Office of the Secretary of Technology.  

D. The Council shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairman annually from among its membership. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The Council shall meet at such times as may be called by the chairman or a majority of the Council.

E. Staff to the Council shall be provided by the Office of the Secretary of Technology.