Virginia Law

A. Effective July 1, 1986, every collegial body established by law or executive order within the executive branch of state government shall be classified according to its level of authority as follows:

"Advisory" -- A board, commission or council shall be classified as advisory when its purpose is to provide advice and comment to an executive branch agency or office. An advisory board, commission or council serves as a formal liaison between the agency or office and the public to ensure that the agency or office understands public concerns and that the activities of the agency or office are communicated to the public. An advisory board, commission or council does not serve a regulatory or rule-making purpose. It may participate in the development of public policy by providing comment and advice.

"Policy" -- A board, commission or council shall be classified as policy if it is specifically charged by statute to promulgate public policies or regulations. It may also be charged with adjudicating violations of those policies or regulations. Specific functions of the board, commission or council may include, but are not limited to, rate setting, distributing federal funds, and adjudicating regulatory or statutory violations, but each power shall be enumerated by law. Policy boards, commissions or councils are not responsible for supervising agencies or employing personnel. They may review and comment on agency budget requests.

"Supervisory" -- A board, commission, or council shall be classified as supervisory if it is responsible for agency operations including approval of requests for appropriations. A supervisory board, commission, or council appoints the agency director and ensures that the agency director complies with all board and statutory directives. The agency director is subordinate to the board. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Education shall be considered a supervisory board.

B. Each executive branch board, commission or council shall be assigned only one of the above classifications. The classification for boards and councils that are created by law shall be designated by the enabling legislation. The classification for commissions that are created by executive order shall be designated by the executive order.

1985, c. 419, § 9-6.25; 2001, c. 844.

Members of the General Assembly shall be ineligible to serve on boards, commissions, and councils within the executive branch of state government who are responsible for administering programs established by the General Assembly. Such prohibition shall not extend to boards, commissions, and councils engaged solely in policy studies or commemorative activities. If any law directs the appointment of any member of the General Assembly to a board, commission, or council in the executive branch of state government that is responsible for administering programs established by the General Assembly, such portion of such law shall be void, and the Governor shall appoint another person from the Commonwealth at large to fill such a position.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to members of the Board for Branch Pilots, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 54.1-901; to members of the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 23.1-3126; to members of the Board of Trustees of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 23.1-3121; to members of the Board of Directors of the New College Institute, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 23.1-3112; to members of the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 22.1-305.2; to members of the Virginia Interagency Coordinating Council, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 2.2-5204; to members of the Board of Veterans Services, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 2.2-2452; to members appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Roanoke Higher Education Authority pursuant to § 23.1-3117; to members of the Board of Trustees of the Online Virginia Network Authority, who shall be appointed as provided in § 23.1-3136; to members of the Virginia Geographic Information Network Advisory Board, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 2.2-2423; to members of the Information Technology Advisory Council, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 2.2-2699.5; to members of the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 22.1-346.2; to members of the Virginia Addiction Recovery Council, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 2.2-2696; to members of the Criminal Justice Services Board, who shall be appointed as provided in § 9.1-108; to members of the State Executive Council for Children's Services, who shall be appointed as provided in § 2.2-2648; to members of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 2.2-2471; to members of the Volunteer Firefighters' and Rescue Squad Workers' Service Award Fund Board, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 51.1-1201; to members of the Secure and Resilient Commonwealth Panel, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 2.2-222.3; to members of the Forensic Science Board, who shall be appointed as provided for in § 9.1-1109; to members of the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation, who shall be appointed as provided in § 2.2-2735; to members of the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board, who shall be appointed as provided in § 2.2-2485; to members of the Henrietta Lacks Commission, who shall be appointed as provided in § 2.2-2538; or to members of the Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent De Jure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against African Americans, who shall be appointed as provided in § 2.2-2552.

1977, c. 629, § 9-6.23; 1978, c. 834; 1988, cc. 839, 888; 1989, c. 198; 1991, c. 627; 1992, cc. 407, 771; 1993, cc. 248, 726, 751, 752, 757; 1994, cc. 486, 843, 858, 951; 1994, 2nd Sp. Sess., c. 7; 1995, cc. 361, 814, 815; 1996, c. 932; 1997, cc. 360, 361, 813, 817; 1998, cc. 622, 724; 1999, cc. 412, 421, 433, 512, 840, 855; 2001, cc. 577, 844; 2003, cc. 94, 451, 657, 670, 854, 900; 2004, c. 37; 2005, cc. 774, 786, 799, 868, 881, 930; 2006, cc. 707, 808, 842, 860, 901; 2007, c. 915; 2008, cc. 654, 659; 2009, cc. 210, 859; 2010, c. 787; 2011, cc. 521, 548, 780, 858; 2012, cc. 803, 835; 2013, cc. 372, 805; 2014, cc. 115, 490, 585, 622, 815; 2015, cc. 366, 369; 2016, cc. 778, 779; 2017, cc. 331, 686; 2018, cc. 477, 705; 2019, c. 771; 2020, c. 1043; 2022, cc. 260, 261; 2023, c. 466.

Positions on boards and commissions designated for "citizen members," "consumer members," and "representatives of the public" are intended to ensure that the composition of a particular board or commission reflects citizen as well as professional interests. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Governor shall, when making an appointment to an executive branch board or commission specifically designated for a "citizen member," "consumer member," or "representative of the public," appoint a person who (i) is not by training or experience a practitioner in the subject area of concern to the board or commission, (ii) is not the spouse, parent, child or sibling of such a practitioner, and (iii) has no direct or indirect financial interest, except as a consumer, in the subject area of concern to the board or commission.

1984, c. 579, § 9-6.24; 2001, c. 844.

Upon request, all agencies and political subdivisions of the Commonwealth shall assist any authority, board, commission, council or other collegial body established in this title in carrying out the respective duties for which each was created.

1968, c. 567, § 9-84.05; 1973, c. 431, § 9-84.9; 1978, c. 103, § 2.1-335.3; 1991, cc. 44, 594, § 9-145.20; 1992, c. 609, § 9-145.34; 1993, c. 162, § 9-145.49; 1995, cc. 638, 815, §§ 2.1-548.42, 9-344; 1996, cc. 97, 589, 599, §§ 2.1-548.52, 9-153; 1999, c. 976, § 9-304.5; 2001, c. 844.

Compensation and expenses to members of state boards, commissions, councils and other similar bodies shall be paid in accordance with Chapter 28 (§ 2.2-2800 et seq.) of this title.

1980, c. 728, § 2.1-20.3; 1981, c. 181; 1998, c. 790; 2001, c. 844.

Whenever any board of visitors to any of the institutions of the Commonwealth deem it necessary or expedient to investigate the management of their institution or the conduct of any of its officers or employees, such board, or a committee of its members selected by the board, shall have such power and authority to send for persons and papers or to order the attendance of witnesses and compel their attendance as is now conferred upon a committee appointed by the General Assembly or either branch thereof by § 30-10. The oath to be taken by any witness examined by such board or committee may be administered by the president or the presiding officer of the board, chairman of its committee, or the clerk or secretary of the board or committee. All expenses incurred in summoning or in the attendance of such witness shall be paid out of the funds of the institution whose boards made or ordered the investigation.

Code 1919, § 1096, § 9-13; 2001, c. 844.

A. The board of directors of the several state hospitals and the governing boards of educational institutions in the Commonwealth shall receive their actual, itemized expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties in attending the meetings of the boards or committees.

B. No officer of any public institution of higher education, school, hospital, or other institution or board maintained in part or in whole by the Commonwealth shall spend or appropriate any money for the purpose of sending any member of the board or officials of such institution or other person to appear before the General Assembly, or any committee thereof, for the purpose of advocating in any way any appropriation for any institution supported in whole or in part by the Commonwealth. However, when any committee of the General Assembly desires information in regard to the needs of any state institution it may by proper resolution so determine, and request that any institution or board thereof send one or more competent persons to give the information desired, and the expense thereof may be paid out of the funds appropriated by the Commonwealth for the support of that institution.

Code 1919, §§ 1097, 1098, §§ 9-14, 9-15; 1998, c. 790; 2001, c. 844.