Virginia Law

Article 33. Aerospace Advisory Council.

A. The Aerospace Advisory Council (the Council) is established as an advisory council, within the meaning of § 2.2-2100, in the executive branch of state government. The purpose of the Council shall be to advise the Governor, the Joint Commission on Technology and Science, and the Secretaries of Commerce and Trade, and Education on policy and funding priorities with respect to aerospace economic development, workforce training, educational programs, and educational curriculum. The Council shall suggest strategies to attract and promote the development of existing aerospace companies, new aerospace companies, federal aerospace agencies, aerospace research, venture and human capital, and applied research and technology that contribute to the growth and development of the aerospace sector in the Commonwealth.

B. The Council 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 Tech, 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's Langley Research Center shall be requested to serve by the Governor as ex officio members with nonvoting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the Council shall be citizens of the Commonwealth.

Legislative members 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 terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. All members may be reappointed.

C. Legislative members of the Council shall receive such compensation as provided in § 30-19.12. Nonlegislative citizen members shall serve without compensation or reimbursement for reasonable and necessary expenses. Funding for compensation and expenses of legislative members shall be provided by the operating budgets of the Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of the Senate upon approval of the Joint Rules Committee. All other expenses of the Council shall be provided by the Department of Aviation.

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

E. Staff to the Council shall be provided by the Department of Aviation. The Division of Legislative Services shall provide additional staff support to legislative members serving on the Council.

2007, c. 891; 2008, c. 745; 2009, cc. 485, 633; 2010, cc. 339, 836; 2011, cc. 540, 691, 714; 2020, c. 738.

The Council shall have the power and duty to:

1. Identify opportunities and recommend actions to use the economic development engine offered by Virginia'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, national, and international investments, such as the FAA's NextGen initiative and emerging NASA and other federal programs;

2. 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;

3. 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;

4. Advise the Governor and the General Assembly 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;

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

6. 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; and

7. Assist the Governor in any aerospace-related events and conferences hosted by the Commonwealth.

2007, c. 891; 2010, cc. 339, 836.