Bill Text: VA HB2228 | 2017 | Regular Session | Prefiled


Bill Title: Aerospace Advisory Council; reorganizes as Advisory Committee on Aerospace.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-08 - Left in Appropriations [HB2228 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2017-HB2228-Prefiled.html
17103649D
HOUSE BILL NO. 2228
Offered January 11, 2017
Prefiled January 11, 2017
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 2.2-2239.1 and to repeal Article 33 (§§2.2-2699.1 and 2.2-2699.2) of Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Aerospace Advisory Council; reorganize as Advisory Committee on Aerospace.
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Patron-- Sickles
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Committee Referral Pending
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 2.2-2239.1 as follows:

§2.2-2239.1. Advisory Committee on Aerospace.

A. The Board shall establish an Advisory Committee on Aerospace (the Advisory Committee) to advise the Board on all matters related to establishing the Commonwealth as a leader in the aerospace sector, including economic development, marketing, workforce development, and research and commercialization in the public and private aerospace sectors and related supply chain industries. In advising the Board, the Advisory Committee shall:

1. Identify opportunities and recommend actions to use the economic development engine offered by the Commonwealth's aerospace sector to benefit the sector and the Commonwealth, including the attraction to Virginia of launch and other aerospace companies, as well as federal and international investments, such as the Federal Aviation Administration's NextGen initiative and emerging NASA and other federal programs;

2. Suggest strategies to (i) attract new aerospace companies to the Commonwealth and promote the development of existing aerospace companies located in the Commonwealth, (ii) market the Commonwealth's numerous assets related to the aerospace sector, and (iii) encourage and incentivize applied research and technology that will contribute to the growth and development of the aerospace sector in the Commonwealth;

3. Develop a long-term strategic plan to make the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport the commercial hub for space travel originating or concluding in the United States;

4. Contribute to the continued development of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. Development efforts shall include, in part:

a. Identification of any federal or state regulatory impediments, including taxation, to the development of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport;

b. Identification of threats to the spaceport's viability, such as encroachment, zoning, mineral exploration and exploitation, and noncompatible uses of the spaceport; and

c. Identification and recommendation of policy and legislative solutions to potential state legal barriers to human spaceflight;

5. Advise the Board on infrastructure and marketing investments needed to achieve the full potential of Virginia's aerospace sector as a whole, including, but not limited to, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport;

6. Identify and recommend policies to support the critical role of the Commonwealth's institutions of higher education in providing human capital and research contributions that significantly advance the economic development of aerospace-related and aerodynamic-dependent industries in the Commonwealth; and

7. Identify and recommend policies to support aerospace sector needs for workforce development as provided by the Virginia Community College System and precollege educational system, including suggestions for enhanced development of Virginia's high-tech workforce pipeline in engineering, technology, and science.

B. 1. The Advisory Committee shall have a total membership of 20 members that shall consist of four legislative members, nine nonlegislative citizen members, and seven ex officio members. Members shall be appointed as follows: three members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; one member of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; and nine nonlegislative citizen members, of whom one shall represent the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, one shall represent Old Dominion University, one shall represent the University of Virginia, one shall represent Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and five shall represent aerospace companies or suppliers within the Commonwealth, to be appointed by the Governor and serve with voting privileges. The Director of the Department of Aviation, Director of the National Institute of Aerospace, President and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Authority, Director of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, and President and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, or their designees, shall serve as ex officio members with voting privileges. A representative of NASA Wallops Flight Facility and a representative of NASA Langley Research Center shall be requested to serve by the Governor as ex officio members with nonvoting privileges. Nonlegislative members of the Advisory Committee shall be citizens of the Commonwealth.

2. Legislative and ex officio members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Other members shall be appointed for terms of two years. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired term. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. All members may be reappointed.

3. Legislative members shall receive such compensation as provided in §30-19.12. Nonlegislative citizen members shall serve without compensation. Funding for compensation and expenses of legislative members shall be provided by the operating budgets of the Clerk of the House of Delegates and Clerk of the Senate upon approval of the Joint Rules Committee. All other expenses of the Advisory Committee shall be provided by the Authority.

4. The Advisory Committee shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairman annually from among its legislative membership. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The Advisory Committee shall meet at such times as may be called by the chairman, a majority of the Advisory Committee, or the Authority.

2. That Article 33 (§§2.2-2699.1 and 2.2-2699.2) of Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia is repealed.

3. That the provisions of this act shall not be construed to affect the unexpired terms of the members serving on the Aerospace Advisory Council on June 30, 2017. Such members shall be deemed to be members of the Advisory Committee on Aerospace established pursuant to §2.2-2239.1 of the Code of Virginia, as created by this act, and shall serve the remainder of their terms.

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