SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2013 SESSION


CHAPTER 231
An Act to amend and reenact §§ 2.2-300, 2.2-301, 2.2-302, and 2.2-303 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
[H 2095]
Approved March 12, 2013

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That §§ 2.2-300, 2.2-301, 2.2-302, and 2.2-303 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

CHAPTER 3.
OFFICE OF ASSISTANT TO THE GOVERNOR FOR INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS.

§ 2.2-300. Assistant to the Governor for Intergovernmental Affairs; position created; appointment.

A. There is created in the Office of the Governor, the Office of position of Assistant to the Governor for Intergovernmental Affairs (the Office). The purpose of the Office shall be (the Assistant to the Governor) to serve as the link between the Commonwealth and the United States Congress; the White House; federal departments, agencies bureaus, offices and entities; and other states and territories.

B. The Office shall consist of an Assistant to the Governor for Intergovernmental Affairs, who shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor for a four-year term commencing on the Monday after the third Wednesday in January after the Governor's inauguration. The appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the General Assembly as provided in § 2.2-106. After the Assistant to the Governor is confirmed by the General Assembly, the Governor shall fill vacancies only in the event of the Assistant to the Governor's resignation, death, disability, or upon removal by the Governor after notification to the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the President pro tempore of the Senate of the reason for removal. Upon such vacancy, the Governor shall appoint a successor for the remainder of the unexpired term that 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.

§ 2.2-301. Duties of the Assistant to the Governor; staff; office location.

A. The Assistant to the Governor shall be responsible for the general management of the Office and for the tasks assigned to it by law or by the Governor.

B. The Assistant to the Governor may hire staff, and accept offers of service from volunteers on a full- full-time or part-time basis.

C. The Assistant to the Governor may obtain, either in the City of Washington, D.C., or at some location within the Commonwealth within 25 miles of Washington, D.C., such office space as he deems necessary for carrying out the duties imposed on him by this chapter.

§ 2.2-302. Responsibilities.

It shall be the responsibility of the Office, through the Assistant to the Governor, generally, to serve as an institutional and organizational link between the government of the Commonwealth and those agencies, bureaus, departments, offices, and entities of the United States government located in the City of Washington, D.C., and its immediate environs. The responsibilities of the Office Assistant to the Governor shall include, but not necessarily be limited to:

1. Monitoring, tracking, and conducting in-depth analyses of federal legislation and regulations that have a direct impact on the Commonwealth and providing the Governor, the appropriate Cabinet Secretaries, and state agencies with up-to-date information on the status of such federal legislation and regulations, including the potential impact on the Commonwealth and coordination of state positions on such legislation and regulations;

2. Influencing the development and outcome of federal legislation by keeping the Virginia Congressional Delegation informed about the Governor's priorities and the impact that such legislation will have on the management, the budget, and the citizens of the Commonwealth;

3. Providing advice regarding written or oral testimony to be presented by the Governor or state agency heads before Congressional committees;

4. Alerting state agencies to early opportunities for federal grants and working with the Department of Planning and Budget to monitor and track the status of federal grant applications submitted by state agencies;

5. Joining in cooperative efforts with other states, through other offices of intergovernmental affairs, governors associations, and interstate groups with which the Commonwealth has an affiliation, on issues of mutual concern;

6. Serving as an information source about the Commonwealth upon the request of (i) another state's governor's office or Congressional member's staff, (ii) the White House, (iii) a federal agency, or (iv) the embassy of a foreign country;

7. Assisting state agency officials in (i) resolving administrative problems that may occur between the state agency and federal agencies and (ii) obtaining needed information from the federal government;

8. Arranging meetings between federal and state officials and serving as a base office for state officials traveling to Washington, D.C.; and

9. Reporting twice yearly to the members of the Senate Committee on Finance, the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Governor on all federal mandates and regulations that may have an effect on the Commonwealth. These reports shall be presented by January 31 and July 31 of each year and shall contain the recorded votes of each member of the Virginia Congressional Delegation for all such legislation.

§ 2.2-303. Cooperation with Department of Planning and Budget; supplemental assistance.

The Office Assistant to the Governor shall be charged with the coordination of its his work with that of the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget. The Department of Planning and Budget shall provide the Office Assistant to the Governor with such support, beyond that provided for in §§ 2.2-301 and 2.2-302, as may prove necessary.