ENROLLED
H. B. 2251
(By Delegate Warner)
[Passed March 11, 1999; in effect ninety days from passage.]
AN ACT to amend and reenact section four-b, article two-a,
chapter seventeen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand
nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to
scholarships for training division of highways personnel;
providing for other training programs; increasing the number
of scholarships and amounts that may be awarded; eliminating
the state treasurer from the process; and changing the
credit received for service time with the division of
highways.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section four-b, article two-a, chapter seventeen of the
code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2A. WEST VIRGINIA COMMISSIONER OF HIGHWAYS.
§17-2A-4b. Scholarships for training highway personnel; other
training programs; notes for money advanced; payment or
cancellation of notes.
The Legislature hereby declares that there is a wide and
continuing need for trained personnel in the division of highways
of this state and that the scholarships herein provided will aid
the division of highways in attracting and holding competent
employees.
The commissioner of highways is empowered to enter into
contracts for training programs with state colleges, universities
and other training sources and to award scholarships to competent
persons, whether presently employed by the division of highways
or not, for the purpose of enabling and encouraging such persons
to attend a college or university to pursue the course of study
as may be approved by the commissioner of highways, but the
number of persons holding such scholarships at any one time shall
not exceed fifteen. Each scholarship shall carry a stipend in an
amount fixed by the commissioner of highways not in excess of
twelve thousand dollars in the aggregate. The necessary
expenditures for the scholarships shall be made from the funds
available to the division of highways. The recipient of a
scholarship shall execute notes and shall deliver said notes to the commissioner of highways. Each note shall be in the amount
of the sum received from the state road fund and shall be payable
on demand to the division of highways. The commissioner of
highways shall hold said notes and if, for any reason, except
death or physical or mental disability, or being drafted into the
armed services, the recipient of a scholarship fails successfully
to complete the course of study for which the scholarship was
granted or if after the completion of the prescribed course of
study does not continue or become an employee of the division of
highways, or ceases to be an employee before all the notes have
been paid or canceled, the commissioner of highways shall make
demand for payment of all of the unpaid and uncanceled notes and
shall promptly enforce collection thereon and shall deposit the
sums so collected thereon in the state road fund. The
commissioner of highways is authorized to credit the oldest
outstanding notes in the sum of one thousand five hundred dollars
every six months that the recipient of the scholarship is
employed by the division of highways after completing the course
of study for which the scholarship was granted. The commissioner
of highways shall have the power and authority to make all
necessary rules to carry this section into effect.