2006 Code of Virginia § 30-156 - Virginia State Crime Commission; purpose; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; quorum; vot...

30-156. Virginia State Crime Commission; purpose; membership; terms;compensation and expenses; quorum; voting on recommendations.

A. The Virginia State Crime Commission (the Commission) is established in thelegislative branch of state government. The purpose of the Commission shallbe to study, report and make recommendations on all areas of public safetyand protection. In so doing it shall endeavor to ascertain the causes ofcrime and recommend ways to reduce and prevent it, explore and recommendmethods of rehabilitation of convicted criminals, study compensation ofpersons in law enforcement and related fields and study other related mattersincluding apprehension, trial and punishment of criminal offenders. TheCommission shall make such recommendations as it deems appropriate withrespect to the foregoing matters, and shall coordinate the proposals andrecommendations of all commissions and agencies as to legislation affectingcrimes, crime control and criminal procedure. The Commission shall cooperatewith the executive branch of state government, the Attorney General's officeand the judiciary who are in turn encouraged to cooperate with theCommission. The Commission shall cooperate with governments and governmentalagencies of other states and the United States.

B. The Commission shall consist of 13 members that include nine legislativemembers, three nonlegislative citizen members, and one state official asfollows: six members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speakerof the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportionalrepresentation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; threemembers of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; threenonlegislative citizen members to be appointed by the Governor; and theAttorney General or his designee. Nonlegislative citizen members shall becitizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unless otherwise approved by thechairman of the Commission, nonlegislative citizen members shall only bereimbursed for travel originating and ending within the Commonwealth ofVirginia for the purpose of attending meetings.

C. The term of each appointee shall be for two years, except that theAttorney General and legislative members shall serve terms coincident withtheir terms of office. All members may be reappointed. Appointments to fillvacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be made for theunexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the originalappointments.

D. The Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman annually, whoshall be members of the General Assembly. A majority of the members of theCommission shall constitute a quorum. Meetings of the Commission shall beheld at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority of the members sorequest.

E. Legislative members of the Commission shall receive such compensation asprovided in 30-19.12 and nonlegislative citizen members shall receive suchcompensation as provided in 2.2-2813 for their services. All members shallbe reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in theperformance of their duties as provided in 2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. All suchcompensation and expense payments, however, shall come from existingappropriations to the Commission.

F. No recommendation of the Commission shall be adopted if a majority of theSenate members or a majority of the House members appointed to the Commission(i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation tofail notwithstanding the majority vote of the Commission.

(1972, c. 766, 9-125, 9-126; 1974, c. 527; 1979, c. 316; 1993, c. 438;2001, c. 844; 2003, c. 885; 2004, c. 1000.)