Bill Text: VA SB258 | 2014 | Regular Session | Prefiled

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Bill Title: Law-enforcement consolidation plan; Secretary of Natural Resources to develop.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-16 - Continued to 2015 in Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (12-Y 0-N) [SB258 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2014-SB258-Prefiled.html

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14100251D
SENATE BILL NO. 258 Offered January 8, 2014 Prefiled January 3, 2014 A BILL directing the Secretary of Natural Resources to develop a plan to consolidate the law-enforcement functions of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Marine Resources Commission. ---------- Patron-- Deeds ---------- Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. §1. That the Secretary of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Marine Resources Commission, shall develop a plan for the consolidation of the law-enforcement functions of these two agencies under the authority of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The consolidation plan shall take into account (i) the cost efficiencies of such a plan; (ii) the potential for redirecting financial savings from such consolidation to other high priority responsibilities identified by the agencies and their boards; (iii) gaps and duplication of training, tasks, and enforcement services, and opportunities for improved service delivery; (iv) maximizing the protection of Virginia's natural resources; and (v) additional new funding sources available to support the consolidation, if needed. The law-enforcement consolidation plan shall include an implementation strategy that addresses the following management concerns: (a) what activities constitute "law enforcement"; (b) the training, coordination, and deployment of law-enforcement personnel; (c) workload management based on seasonal priorities; and (d) optimizing communication among law-enforcement personnel in such areas as the regulation of fishing (recreational and commercial), boating safety, and habitat and bottomlands

 protection.

§2. The Secretary of Natural Resources shall submit the law-enforcement consolidation plan to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources; the Senate Committee on Finance; and the House Committee on Appropriations, no later than November 1, 2014.