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1995 SESSION

LD0090180
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 468
Offered January 18, 1995
Requesting a joint subcommittee to examine the role, responsibilities and resource needs of the Virginia State Bar.
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Patrons--Cranwell and Croshaw
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the Virginia State Bar is an administrative agency of the Commonwealth, created pursuant to Article 2 (§ 54.1-3909 et seq.) of Chapter 39 of Title 54.1; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia State Bar’s statutory purpose is to investigate and report violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility adopted under the Rules of the Supreme Court regarding the practice of law in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, over the past several years the activities of the Virginia State Bar have increased in size and scope, and may now involve activities which are not reasonably and necessarily related to the purposes for which the agency was statutorily created; and

WHEREAS, the resources made available to the Virginia State Bar in the form of fees paid by its members have increased in recent years, as have the appropriations to and expenditures of the agency; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia State Bar has recently adopted a long-range plan which contemplates continued growth in staffing and expenditures by the agency of 29 percent to 37 percent over the next five years; and

WHEREAS, it is in the interests of the citizens of the Commonwealth that agencies such as the Virginia State Bar act within a clearly prescribed statutory mission, and that appropriations and expenditures by such agencies should be cost efficient and consistent with statutory purposes; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to examine (i) the activities and programs of the Virginia State Bar in relation to its statutory mission, (ii) the expenditure, staffing and resource needs of the Virginia State Bar in fulfilling its statutory obligations and duties, (iii) the comparability and appropriateness of existing policies of the Virginia State Bar in relation to its statutory authority and in relation to other agencies and institutions of the Commonwealth, and (iv) the feasibility and desirability of privatizing or restructuring functions of the Virginia State Bar, all with a view toward assuring the maximum effectiveness of the agency and its service to the citizens of the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the joint subcommittee be composed of eight members, appointed as follows: four members of the House of Delegates and one citizen member to be appointed by the Speaker of the House, and two members of the Senate and one citizen member to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $5,500.

The Division of Legislative Services and the staffs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance shall provide staff support for the study. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1996 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for processing legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.