Bill Text: VA SB957 | 2020 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Civic Education, Commission on; sunset and funding.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-04-10 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1045) [SB957 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-SB957-Chaptered.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §30-348 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§30-348. (Expires July 1, 2020) Commission on Civic Education; purpose; membership; terms.
The Commission on Civic Education (the Commission) is established in the legislative branch of state government. The purposes of the Commission are to (i) educate students on the importance of citizen involvement in a constitutional republic, (ii) promote the study of state and local government among the Commonwealth's citizenry, and (iii) enhance communication and collaboration among organizations in the Commonwealth that conduct civic education.
The Commission shall have a total membership of 15
17 members that shall consist of eight five legislative
members, six and 12 nonlegislative citizen members, and one ex
officio member. Members shall be appointed as follows: five 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; three two
members of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules;
three six nonlegislative citizen members, one of whom shall have
a background in curriculum development, interactive learning, and multimedia
technology, one of whom shall be a current or retired school civics teacher,
and one of whom shall be a representative of an organization that promotes
civic learning two of whom shall be former or current government or
civics teachers, one of whom shall be a representative of an organization
involved in civic engagement, one of whom shall be a representative of an
institution of political or civil engagement studies center, one of whom shall
be a Department of Education social studies specialist, and one of whom shall
have the qualifications or experience as determined by the Speaker, to be
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; and three six
nonlegislative citizen members, one of whom shall be a retired school civics
teacher, one of whom shall be a representative of a public policy center of a
public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth, and one of whom
shall be a representative of the Virginia Press Association two of whom
shall be current or former social studies coordinators, one of whom shall be a
representative of a voter outreach organization, one of whom shall be a member
of the Virginia Press Association, one of whom shall be a professor of social
studies education, and one of whom shall have the qualifications or experience
as determined by the Senate Committee on Rules, to be appointed by the
Senate Committee on Rules. The Superintendent of Public Instruction or his
designee shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative
citizen members of the Commission shall be citizens of the Commonwealth. Unless
otherwise approved in writing by the chairman of the Commission, the Clerk of
the House of Delegates, and the Clerk of the Senate, nonlegislative citizen
members shall only be reimbursed for travel originating and ending within the
Commonwealth for the purpose of attending meetings.
Legislative members and the ex officio member of the
Commission shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.
Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for a term of two years.
Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be
for the unexpired terms. Legislative members and nonlegislative citizen members
may be reappointed. However, no nonlegislative citizen member shall serve more
than four consecutive two-year terms. The remainder of any term to which a
member is appointed to fill a vacancy shall not constitute a term in
determining the member's eligibility for reappointment. Vacancies shall be
filled in the same manner as the original appointments.
The Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership, who shall be members of the General Assembly.
2. That §30-354 of the Code of Virginia is repealed.
3. That the second enactment of Chapter 562 of the Acts of Assembly of 2014 is repealed.