Bill Text: VA HJR93 | 2010 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Federal stimulus; joint subcommittee to study impact of spending in State.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-02-16 - House: Left in Rules [HJR93 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2010-HJR93-Prefiled.html
10103613D WHEREAS, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) provided for $787 billion dollars in federal spending, including approximately $90 billion for state medical assistance programs; and WHEREAS, Virginia received approximately $4 billion in direct federal aid pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with approximately $1.2 million to pay for medical assistance services; and WHEREAS, portions of the funds allocated to Virginia pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 have already been spent and additional funds will continue to be spent in the near future; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint subcommittee be established to study the impact of federal stimulus spending in the Commonwealth. The joint subcommittee shall have a total membership of 15 members that shall consist of eight legislative members, three nonlegislative citizen members, and four ex officio members. Members shall be appointed as follows: five 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; three members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; two nonlegislative citizen members to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; and one nonlegislative citizen members to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. The Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Secretary of Finance, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and the Secretary of Transportation, or their designees, shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the joint subcommittee shall be citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unless otherwise approved in writing by the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk, nonlegislative citizen members shall only be reimbursed for travel originating and ending within the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of attending meetings. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required. The joint subcommittee shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership, who shall be members of the General Assembly. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall (i) determine the amount of federal funds received by the Commonwealth, its localities, and its citizens pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Act), including direct aid to the Commonwealth, grants, and other awards; (ii) the amount of funds received by the Commonwealth for medical assistance through the Commonwealth's Medicaid program; (iii) any conditions or requirements imposed on the Commonwealth, its localities, and its citizens as a result of accepting federal funds pursuant to the Act, including any state or local match rates and any maintenance of effort requirements; (iv) how funds received by the Commonwealth, its localities, and its citizens have been expended or are expected to be expended, including any construction projects financed or expected to be financed in whole or in part with federal funds received pursuant to the Act and any projects that may include federal wage requirements that could result in additional costs to the Commonwealth; and (v) any long-term impacts on the Commonwealth expected to result from the spending of federal stimulus funds, including effects that may occur when federal funds available to the Commonwealth, its localities, and its citizens pursuant to the Act are no longer available, and recommendations for addressing those impacts. Administrative staff support shall be provided by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates. Legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the joint subcommittee shall be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. Technical assistance shall be provided by Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which shall provide such research, policy analysis, and other research services as may be required. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee for this study, upon request. The joint subcommittee shall be limited to four meetings for the 2010 interim and four meetings for the 2011 interim, and the direct costs of this study shall not exceed $9,200 for each year without approval as set out in this resolution. Approval for unbudgeted nonmember-related expenses shall require the written authorization of the chairman of the joint subcommittee and the respective Clerk. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required. No recommendation of the joint subcommittee shall be adopted if a majority of the House members or a majority of the Senate members appointed to the joint subcommittee (i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the joint subcommittee. The joint subcommittee shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2010, and for the second year by November 30, 2011, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year. Each executive summary shall state whether the joint subcommittee intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website. Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may approve or disapprove expenditures for this study, extend or delay the period for the conduct of the study, or authorize additional meetings during the 2010 or 2011 interims. |