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2007 SESSION

070929276
HOUSE BILL NO. 3114
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the House Committee on General Laws
on February 1, 2007)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Cosgrove)
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 32, consisting of sections numbered 2.2-2698 and 2.2-2699, relating to the Aerospace Advisory Council.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 32, consisting of sections numbered 2.2-2698 and 2.2-2699 as follows:

Article 32.
Aerospace Advisory Council.

§ 2.2-2698. Aerospace Advisory Council; purpose; membership; 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 consist of 15 members as follows: three legislative members of the House of Delegates and four citizen representatives from the aerospace and space exploration industry to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; one legislative member of the Senate and two citizen representatives from the aerospace and space exploration industry to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; one citizen representative of NASA Wallops Flight Facility, one citizen representative from NASA's Langley Research Center, one citizen representative from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, one citizen representative from Old Dominion University, and one citizen representative from Virginia Tech to be appointed by the Governor. Legislative members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Other members shall be appointed for a term of two years and shall be eligible for reappointment.

C. 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.

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

§ 2.2-2699. Powers and duties of the Council.

The Council shall have the power and duty to:

1. Identify any federal or state regulatory impediments, including taxation, to the development of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport;

2. Identify threats to the spaceport’s viability, such as encroachment, zoning, mineral exploration and exploitation, and noncompatible uses of the spaceport;

3. Advise the Governor on potential economic development opportunities and marketing strategies to attract launch companies to Virginia;

4. Identify and recommend policy and legislative solutions to potential state legal barriers to human spaceflight, including liability and assumption of risk issues;

5. Advise the Governor on infrastructure and marketing investments needed to achieve the spaceport's full potential and that of Virginia's aerospace sector as a whole;

6. Develop a long-term strategic plan to make the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport the premiere commercial hub for space travel in the United States;

7. Identify and recommend actions to position Virginia's aerospace sector to take advantage of newly emerging opportunities as part of NASA's Vision for Space Exploration; and

8. Identify and recommend policies to support the critical role of Virginia's universities in providing human capital and research contributions that significantly impact aerospace-related economic development in the Commonwealth.

2.  That the provisions of this act shall expire on July 1, 2010.