3.2-101 - Department continued; appointment of Commissioner; agriculture education.
§ 3.2-101. Department continued; appointment of Commissioner; agricultureeducation.
A. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is continued. TheDepartment shall be under the management and control of a Commissionerappointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly,for a term coincident with that of the Governor. Any vacancy in the office ofthe Commissioner shall be filled by appointment by the Governor pursuant tothe provisions of Article V, Section 10 of the Constitution of Virginia.
B. There shall be established, within the Department, to be administered bythe Department of Agriculture Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University, a unit of specialists in agriculture education. The unitshall: (i) assist in developing and revising local agriculture curricula tointegrate the Standards of Learning; (ii) provide professional developmentfor agriculture instructional personnel to improve the quality of agricultureeducation; (iii) conduct site visits to the schools providing agricultureeducation; and (iv) seek the input of business and industry representativesregarding the content and direction of agriculture education programs in thepublic schools of the Commonwealth.
1. Any required reduction in the Department's budget shall be reflected in aproportional reduction in the operation of the agriculture education unit.The reduction in the allocation for operation of the agriculture educationunit shall not exceed the percentage reduction provided for in theappropriation act for the Department.
2. In the event that additional funds are not allocated for these positions,the Department shall not be required to absorb the costs of these positions.
(Code 1950, § 3-7; 1966, c. 702, § 3.1-8; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 34; 1978, c.219; 1985, c. 397; 2004, c. 180, § 3.1-14.2; 2008, c. 860.)