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2004 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 185
Continuing the U.S. Route 460 Communications Committee. Report.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 10, 2004
Agreed to by the Senate, March 9, 2004

WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution No. 684 of the 2001 Regular Session of the General Assembly established the U.S. Route 460 Communications Committee; and

WHEREAS, Senate Joint Resolution No. 324 of the 2003 Regular Session of the General Assembly amended HJR No. 684 (2001); and

WHEREAS, these 2003 amendments resulted in a degree of ambiguity as to the intended duration of the Committee's mandate from the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, the resolution by which the Committee was established clearly stated that the Committee's work was to continue until "commencement of construction of the U.S. 460 upgrade project"; and

WHEREAS, in the three years of the Committee's existence, much useful work has been done, in a time of uncertainty of highway construction funding and a general contraction of the Commonwealth's transportation improvement program, to maintain and increase the U.S. 460 upgrade project's momentum; and

WHEREAS, working cooperatively with representatives of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Committee was able to ensure adequate funding to proceed with environmental and other studies required in order to gain federal approval and funding for the U.S. 460 upgrade project; and

WHEREAS, acting on the basis of information from the Virginia Secretary of Transportation's office and VDOT, the Committee has communicated with the Governor and the Virginia delegation to the Congress of the United States to request that federal funds for the U.S. 460 upgrade project be specifically provided and earmarked in federal highway program reauthorization legislation (SAFETEA) presently before Congress; and

WHEREAS, the Committee has been working with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to make high-speed passenger rail service available between Richmond and Hampton Roads through the U.S. Route 460 corridor; and

WHEREAS, much of what the Committee has achieved over the past three years may have been in vain, if the Committee's mandate should now expire; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the U.S. Route 460 Communications Committee be continued. The Communications Committee shall consist of 15 members that include 10 legislative members and five ex officio members. Members shall be appointed as follows: six 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. Current members appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections and ex officio members shall continue to serve. The Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner or his designee; the Executive Director of the Virginia Port Authority or his designee; the Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality or his designee; the Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission or his designee; and the Executive Director of the Crater Planning District Commission or his designee shall serve without voting privileges. Vacancies shall be filled by the original appointing authority, except that vacancies occurring in Senate appointments shall be filled by the Senate Committee on Rules. Nonlegislative citizen members of the Communications Committee shall be citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Communications Committee shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its membership, who shall be members of the General Assembly.

In conducting its study, the Communications Committee shall continue to (i) act as an institutional and organizational link between the citizens and businesses of the Richmond-Petersburg metropolitan area, the Port of Hampton Roads, the legislative representatives of such regions in the General Assembly, and the Virginia Department of Transportation; and (ii) receive and disseminate communications between the Department and persons and entities directly affected by the prompt completion and success of all phases and aspects of the planning, designing, constructing, and financing of the U.S. Route 460 Improvement Projects.

Administrative staff support shall continue to be provided by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates. Legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the Communications Committee shall continue to be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. Technical assistance shall continue to be provided by the Virginia Department of Transportation. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Communications Committee for this study, upon request.

The Communications Committee shall be limited to four meetings in the 2004 interim and four meetings in the 2005 interim, and the direct costs of this study shall not exceed $10,000 for each interim without approval as set out in this resolution. Approval for unbudgeted nonmember-related expenses shall require the written authorization of the chairman of the Committee and the respective Clerk. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required.

No recommendation of the Communications Committee shall be adopted if a majority of the House members or a majority of the Senate members appointed to the Communications Committee (i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the Communications Committee.

The Communications Committee shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2004, and for the second year by November 30, 2005, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations for each year no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether the joint subcommittee intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may approve or disapprove expenditures for this study, extend or delay the period for the conduct of the study, or authorize additional meetings during the 2004 and 2005 interims.