HB864: Transportation Board; changes composition, Governor shall appoint or remove members, etc.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 33.1-1 and 33.1-2 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 33.1-1. State Highway and Transportation Board continued as Commonwealth Transportation Board; number and terms of members; removal from office; Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner continued as Commissioner of Highways; vacancies.
The State Highway and Transportation Board, formerly known as the State Highway and Transportation Commission, is continued and shall hereafter be known as the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Wherever either "Commission" or "Board" is used in this title referring to the State Highway and Transportation Board or the State Highway and Transportation Commission, it shall mean the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
The Board shall consist of seventeen 17 members:
the Secretary of Transportation, the Commissioner of Highways, the Director of
the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and fourteen 14 citizen
members. The citizen members shall be (i) appointed by the Governor as provided
in § 33.1-2, (ii) subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, and (iii)
removable from office during their respective terms by the Governor at his
pleasure. Appointments of citizen members shall be for terms of four years
commencing upon July 1, upon the expiration of the terms of the existing
members, respectively. The initial terms of the members appointed in January,
1987, shall commence when appointed and shall be for terms ending June 30,
1988, June 30, 1989, and June 30, 1990, respectively. Vacancies shall be filled
by appointment by the Governor for the unexpired term and shall be effective
until 30 days after the next meeting of the ensuing General Assembly and, if
confirmed, thereafter for the remainder of the term. No person shall be eligible
to serve more than two successive terms of four years, other than the Secretary
of Transportation, the Commissioner of Highways, and the Director of the
Department of Rail and Public Transportation. A person heretofore or hereafter
appointed to fill a vacancy may serve two additional successive terms.
If the number of congressional districts is modified through redistricting, the Governor shall appoint a member to a newly added district or, if a congressional district is lost, the Governor shall remove the member from the lost congressional district. The addition or subtraction of the congressional member shall be from the membership of the at-large members. The effective date of revision in membership shall be July 1 of the year in which the district was created or lost.
The Secretary of Transportation shall serve as Chairman of the Board. The Secretary shall have voting privileges only in the event of a tie. The Commissioner of Highways shall serve as Vice-Chairman of the Board. The Commissioner shall have voting privileges only in the event of a tie when he is presiding during the absence of the Chairman. The Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation shall serve without a vote.
Whenever in this title and in the Code of Virginia "State Highway Commission" or "State Highway and Transportation Board" is used, it shall mean "Commonwealth Transportation Board"; "State Highway Commissioner" or "State Highway and Transportation Commissioner" or "Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner" shall mean Commissioner of Highways; and all references to "Department of Highways and Transportation" shall refer to the Department of Transportation.
§ 33.1-2. Residence requirements; statewide interest.
Of such Board, one member shall be a resident of the territory
now included in the Bristol construction district, one in the Salem
construction district, one in the Lynchburg construction district, one in the
Staunton construction district, one in the Culpeper construction district, one
in the Fredericksburg construction district, one in the Richmond construction
district, one in the Hampton Roads construction district and one in the
Northern Virginia construction each congressional district in the
Commonwealth. Upon any redistricting, any member who no longer resides
in his congressional district shall resign. The remaining five
three members shall be appointed from the Commonwealth at large, but at
least two shall reside in standard metropolitan statistical
planning areas with populations greater than 200,000 and be
designated as urban at-large members, and at least two one shall
reside outside standard metropolitan statistical planning
areas with populations greater than 200,000 and be designated as a
rural at-large members member. The at-large members shall be
appointed to represent rural and urban transportation needs and be mindful
of the concerns of seaports and seaport users, concerns of airports
and airport users, concerns of railways and railway users, and concerns
of mass transit and mass transit users. Each member so appointed shall be
mindful of the best interest of the Commonwealth at large primarily instead of
those of the district from which chosen or of the transportation interest
represented.
2. That nothing in this act shall affect the term of any member appointed to the Commonwealth Transportation Board prior to January 1, 2013, as long as such member is transitioned into a citizen member seat according to the congressional districts for the remainder of his term.
3. That the provisions of this act shall become effective on January 1, 2013.
HOUSE BILL NO. 864
Patrons-- Rust, Peace, Surovell, Albo, Alexander, Anderson, BaCote, Brink, Bulova, Comstock, Cosgrove, Cox, J.A., Dance, Englin, Farrell, Filler-Corn, Greason, Helsel, Herring, Hope, Howell, A.T., Hugo, Iaquinto, Ingram, James, Joannou, Keam, Knight, Kory, LeMunyon, Lingamfelter, Lopez, Loupassi, Marshall, R.G., Massie, May, McQuinn, Miller, Morrissey, O'Bannon, Plum, Ramadan, Robinson, Scott, J.M., Sickles, Stolle, Tata, Torian, Villanueva, Ward, Ware, R.L., Watts and Yancey
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 33.1-1 and 33.1-2 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 33.1-1. State Highway and Transportation Board continued as Commonwealth Transportation Board; number and terms of members; removal from office; Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner continued as Commissioner of Highways; vacancies.
The State Highway and Transportation Board, formerly known as the State Highway and Transportation Commission, is continued and shall hereafter be known as the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Wherever either "Commission" or "Board" is used in this title referring to the State Highway and Transportation Board or the State Highway and Transportation Commission, it shall mean the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
The Board shall consist of seventeen
18 members: the Secretary of
Transportation, the Commissioner of Highways, the Director of the Department of
Rail and Public Transportation, and fourteen
15 citizen members. The citizen
members shall be (i) appointed by the Governor as provided in § 33.1-2, (ii)
subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, and
(iii) removable from office during their respective terms by the Governor at
his pleasure, and (iv) persons who
have significant experience in transportation planning, finance, engineering, construction, or
management. Appointments of citizen members shall be for
terms of four years commencing upon July 1, upon the expiration of the terms of
the existing members, respectively. The initial terms of the members appointed
in January, 1987, shall commence when appointed and shall be for terms ending
June 30, 1988, June 30, 1989, and June 30, 1990, respectively. Vacancies shall
be filled by appointment by the Governor for the unexpired term and shall be
effective until 30 days after the next meeting of the ensuing General Assembly
and, if confirmed, thereafter for the remainder of the term. No person shall be
eligible to serve more than two successive terms of four years, other than the
Secretary of Transportation, the Commissioner of Highways, and the Director of
the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. A person heretofore or
hereafter appointed to fill a vacancy may serve two additional successive
terms.
If any member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board shall cease to be a resident of the congressional district from which he was appointed, he shall resign his position on or before the next regularly scheduled congressional election and the Governor shall appoint another person for the balance of his term.
If an additional congressional district is created through redistricting, the Governor shall appoint a member to represent such district for a new term commencing on July 1 of the year in which the district was created, and if a congressional district is eliminated through redistricting, the position shall cease to exist as of July 1 of that year.
The Secretary of Transportation shall serve as Chairman of the Board. The Secretary shall have voting privileges only in the event of a tie. The Commissioner of Highways shall serve as Vice-Chairman of the Board. The Commissioner shall have voting privileges only in the event of a tie when he is presiding during the absence of the Chairman. The Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation shall serve without a vote.
Whenever in this title and in the Code of Virginia "State Highway Commission" or "State Highway and Transportation Board" is used, it shall mean "Commonwealth Transportation Board"; "State Highway Commissioner" or "State Highway and Transportation Commissioner" or "Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner" shall mean Commissioner of Highways; and all references to "Department of Highways and Transportation" shall refer to the Department of Transportation.
§ 33.1-2. Residence requirements; statewide interest.
Of such Board,
one member shall be a resident of the territory now included in the Bristol construction district, one in the
Salem construction district, one in the Lynchburg construction district, one in
the Staunton construction district, one in the Culpeper construction district,
one in the Fredericksburg construction district, one in the Richmond
construction district, one in the Hampton Roads construction district and one
in the Northern Virginia construction district each congressional district in the Commonwealth,
as those congressional districts and the
boundaries existed on January 1, 2012.
The remaining five
four members shall be appointed
from the Commonwealth at large, but at least two shall reside in standard
metropolitan statistical areas and be designated as urban at-large members, and at least two shall reside
outside standard metropolitan statistical areas and be designated as rural
at-large members. The at-large members shall be appointed to represent rural
and urban transportation needs and, in addition, one
shall be mindful
of the appointed to represent the
interests and concerns of
seaports and seaport users, one shall be appointed
to represent the interests and concerns of airports
and airport users, one shall be appointed
to represent the interests and concerns of railways
and railway users, and one shall be appointed
to represent the interests and concerns of mass
transit and mass transit users. Each member so appointed shall be mindful of
the best interest of the Commonwealth at large primarily instead of those of
the district from which chosen or of the transportation interest represented.
2. That nothing in this act shall affect the term of any member appointed to the Commonwealth Transportation Board prior to July 1, 2012.