30-182 - Small Business Commission; purpose; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; staff; voting on recommendations.
§ 30-182. Small Business Commission; purpose; membership; terms; compensationand expenses; staff; voting on recommendations.
A. The Small Business Commission (the Commission) is established in thelegislative branch of state government. The purpose of the Commission shallbe to study, report and make recommendations on issues of concern to smallbusinesses in the Commonwealth.
B. The Commission shall consist of 14 members that include 10 legislativemembers and four nonlegislative citizen members. Members shall be appointedas follows: six members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by theSpeaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles ofproportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates;four members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules;and four nonlegislative citizen members, each of whom shall have previouslydemonstrated small business experience or expertise, to be appointed by theGovernor. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be citizens of theCommonwealth.
All gubernatorial appointments to the Commission shall be for terms of twoyears. Legislative members shall serve terms coincident to their terms ofoffice. All members may be reappointed for successive terms. Appointments tofill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be made for theunexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the originalappointments.
C. The members of the Commission shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairmanannually, who shall be members of the General Assembly. A majority of themembers of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. The Commission shallmeet at the call of the chairman or whenever a majority of the members sorequest.
D. Legislative members of the Commission shall receive such compensation asis set forth in § 30-19.12, and nonlegislative citizen members shall receivesuch compensation for the performance of their duties as provided in §2.2-2813. All members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessaryexpenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. However, all such compensation and expenses shall bepaid from existing appropriations to the Commission.
E. Administrative staff support shall be provided by the Office of the Clerkof the Senate or the Office of Clerk of the House of Delegates as may beappropriate for the house in which the chairman of the Commission serves. TheDivision of Legislative Services shall provide legal, research, policyanalysis and other services as requested by the Commission. All agencies ofthe Commonwealth shall assist the Commission, upon request.
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.
(1995, cc. 735, 783, §§ 9-336, 9-337, 9-339; 2001, c. 844; 2003, c. 885;2004, c. 1000.)