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2018 SESSION
18100551DBe it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 22 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 11, consisting of sections numbered 2.2-2351 through 2.2-2354, as follows:
§ 2.2-2351. Short title; declaration of public purpose; Authority created.
A. This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Virginia-Israel Advisory Authority Act."
B. The General Assembly has determined that there exists in the Commonwealth a need to promote and improve economic and cultural links between the Commonwealth and the State of Israel, with a focus on the areas of commerce and trade, art and education, and general government.
C. To achieve the objectives of subsection B, the Virginia-Israel Advisory Authority is created, with such powers and duties as set forth in this article, as a public body corporate and as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth. The Authority is constituted as a public instrumentality exercising public functions, and the exercise by the Authority of the duties and powers conferred by this article shall be deemed and held to be the performance of an essential government function of the Commonwealth and a public purpose. The exercise of the powers granted by this article and its public purpose shall be in all respects for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Commonwealth.
§ 2.2-2352. Board of directors; members and officers; Executive Director.
A. The Authority shall be governed by a board of directors (the Board) consisting of 31 members that include 29 citizen members and two ex officio members as follows: six citizen members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, who may be members of the House of Delegates or other state or local elected officials; six citizen members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, who may be members of the Senate or other state or local elected officials; 13 members appointed by the Governor who represent business, industry, education, the arts, and government; the president, or his designee, of each of the four Jewish Community Federations serving the Richmond, Northern Virginia, Tidewater, and Peninsula regions; and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the Secretary of Education, or their designees, who shall serve as ex officio voting members of the Board.
B. Nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of four years, and nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the House of Delegates shall serve for terms of two years. Legislative members and the Secretaries of Commerce and Trade and Education, or their designees, shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Vacancies occurring other than by expiration of a term shall be filled for the unexpired term. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. Any member may be reappointed for successive terms.
C. The Board shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman annually from among its membership. The Board shall meet at such times as it deems appropriate or on call of the chairman. Eighteen of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.
D. Members shall receive no compensation for their services. However, 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 the costs of the expenses of the members shall be provided by the Authority.
E. Office space for the Authority shall be provided by the Office of the Governor.
F. The Board may employ an Executive Director of the Authority, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Board, to direct the day-to-day operations and activities of the Authority and carry out the powers and duties conferred upon him by the Board, including powers and duties involving the exercise of discretion. The Executive Director shall also serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Authority and exercise and perform such other powers and duties as may be lawfully delegated to him and such powers and duties as may be conferred or imposed upon him by law. The Executive Director's compensation from the Commonwealth shall be fixed by the Board in accordance with law. The Executive Director shall be eligible for membership in the Virginia Retirement System and participation in all of the health and related insurance and other benefits, including premium conversion and flexible benefits, available to state employees as provided by law.
§ 2.2-2353. Powers and duties of Authority.
The Authority shall have the power and duty to:
1. Undertake studies and gather information and data in order to accomplish its purposes as set forth in § 2.2-2351 and formulate and present its recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly.
2. Apply for, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from public, quasi-public or private sources, including any matching funds as may be designated in the appropriation act, to enable it to better carry out its purposes.
3. Report annually its findings and recommendations to the Governor. The Board may make interim reports to the Governor as it deems advisable.
4. Account annually on its fiscal activities, including any matching funds received or expended by the Authority.
§ 2.2-2354. Annual report.
The chairman of the Board shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the Authority no later than the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall be submitted as provided in the procedure 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.
2. That Article 11 (§§ 2.2-2424 and 2.2-2425) of Chapter 24 of Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia is repealed.
3. That the provisions of this act shall not be construed to affect the members of the Virginia-Israel Advisory Board whose terms have not expired as of June 30, 2018. Such members shall be deemed to be members of the Virginia-Israel Advisory Authority established pursuant to Article 11 (§ 2.2-2351 et seq.) of Chapter 22 of Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia, as created by this act, and shall serve the remainder of their terms.