§ 143B-434. Economic Development Board - creation, duties, membership.
Part2. Economic Development.
§ 143B‑434. Economic Development Board creation, duties, membership.
(a) Creation and Duties. There is created within theDepartment of Commerce an Economic Development Board. The Board shall have thefollowing duties:
(1) To provide economic and community development planning forthe State.
(2) To recommend economic development policy to the Secretary ofCommerce, the General Assembly, and the Governor. The recommendations may coverthe following issues as well as any other economic development policy issues:
a. Use of tax abatements and other incentives to motivateeconomic development.
b. Definition of which specific activities and programs shouldbe considered economic development activities and programs for the purpose ofreceiving State appropriations.
c. The role of institutions of higher education in economicdevelopment.
d. The use of State funds to leverage private nonprofiteconomic development initiatives.
e. The linkage of workforce preparedness activities and initiatives,and economic development planning.
(3) To recommend annually to the Governor biennial and annualappropriations for economic development programs.
(4) To develop and update annually a comprehensive strategiceconomic development plan, as provided in G.S. 143B‑434.1.
The Board shall meet at least quarterly at the call ofits chair or the Secretary. Each quarter the Secretary shall report to theBoard on the program and progress of this State's economic development.
(b) Membership. The Economic Development Board shall consistof 37 members. The Secretary of Commerce shall serve ex officio as a member andas the secretary of the Economic Development Board. The Secretary of Revenueshall serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member. Four members of the House ofRepresentatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, fourmembers of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, thePresident of The University of North Carolina, or designee, the President ofthe North Carolina Community College System, or designee, the Secretary ofState, and the President of the Senate (or the designee of the President of theSenate), shall serve as members of the Board. The Governor shall appoint theremaining 23 members of the Board. Effective with the terms beginning July 1,1997, one of the Governor's appointees shall be a representative of a nonprofitorganization involved in economic development and two of the Governor'sappointees shall be county economic development representatives. The Governorshall designate a chair and a vice‑chair from among the members of theBoard. Appointments to the Board made by the Governor for terms beginning July1, 1997, and appointments to the Board made by the Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate for terms beginningJuly 9, 1993, should reflect the ethnic and gender diversity of the State asnearly as practical.
The initial appointments to the Board shall be for terms beginning onJuly 9, 1993. Of the initial appointments made by the Governor, the terms shallexpire July 1, 1997. Of the initial appointments made by the Speaker of theHouse of Representatives and by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate twoappointments of each shall be designated to expire on July 1, 1995; theremaining terms shall expire July 1, 1997. Thereafter, all appointments shallbe for a term of four years.
The appointing officer shall make a replacement appointment to servefor the unexpired term in the case of a vacancy.
The members of the Economic Development Board shall receive per diemand necessary travel and subsistence expenses payable to members of StateBoards and agencies generally pursuant to G.S. 138‑5 and G.S. 138‑6,as the case may be. The members of the Economic Development Board who aremembers of the General Assembly shall not receive per diem but shall receivenecessary travel and subsistence expenses at rates prescribed by G.S. 120‑3.1.
(c) Advice and Staff. The Secretaries of Administration,State, and Transportation, the Commissioners of Agriculture and Labor, and theState Treasurer, or their designees, shall advise the Board on economicdevelopment activities within the responsibility of their respectivedepartments. Clerical and professional staff support to the EconomicDevelopment Board shall be provided by an Interagency Economic DevelopmentGroup composed of representatives of the following State agencies:
(1) The Department of Administration.
(2) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
(3) The Employment Security Commission.
(4) The Department of Labor.
(5) The Department of Transportation.
TheDepartment of Commerce shall have the responsibility for coordinating theactivities and efforts of the Interagency Economic Development Group. (1977, c. 198, s. 1; 1981, c. 47, s. 6; 1981 (Reg. Sess., 1982), c.1191, s. 18; 1983, c. 717, s. 83; 1989, c. 751, ss. 7(29), 9(c); 1991 (Reg.Sess., 1992), c. 959, s. 85; c. 1038, s. 22; 1993, c. 321, s. 313(a); c. 561,s. 12; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 773, s. 15.1; 1997‑261, s. 105; 2001‑487,s. 32; 2001‑513, s. 13.)