ENROLLED
H. B. 3006
(By Delegates Douglas, Collins, Varner, Stalnaker, Willison, Marshall and
Angotti)
[Passed March 13, 1999; in effect ninety days from passage.]
AN ACT to amend article one, chapter thirty of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section designated section two-a,
relating to requiring the auditor to provide orientation
sessions; requiring attendance of certain members of newly
created state boards or commissions; reimbursement of
expenses; reports by auditor; and authorizing charging of
registration fees.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article one, chapter thirty of the code of West Virginia,
one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended, by
adding thereto a new section designated section two-a, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL STATE BOARDS OF
EXAMINATION OR REGISTRATION REFERRED TO IN CHAPTER.
§30-1-2a. Required orientation session.
(a) After the first day of April and not later than the
thirty-first day of July of each year, the auditor shall provide at
least one orientation session on relevant state law and rules
governing state boards and commissions. All state agencies shall
cooperate with and assist in providing the orientation session if
the auditor requests.
(b) After the effective date of this section, all chairs or
chief financial officers of state boards and commissions newly
created by the Legislature shall attend an orientation session
designed to inform the state boards and commissions of the duties
and requirements imposed on state boards and commissions by state
law and rules. The chair or chief financial officer of the newly
created board or commission shall attend an orientation session at
the earliest possible date following the creation of the board or
commission.
(c) Topics for the orientation session may include, but are
not limited to: the official conduct of members, state budgeting
and financial procedures, purchasing requirements, open meetings
requirements, ethics, rule-making procedures, records management,
annual reports and any other topics the auditor determines to be
essential in the fulfillment of the duties of the members of state
boards and commissions.
(d) The orientation session shall be open to any member of new
or existing boards and commissions and each board or commission may
approve expense reimbursement for the attendance of one or more of its members. The chair of chief financial officer of each existing
board or commission shall attend an orientation session within two
years following the effective date of this section.
(e) No later than the tenth day of August of each year, the
auditor shall provide to the chairs of the Joint Standing Committee
on Government Operations a list of the names of board or commission
members attending, together with the names of the boards and
commissions represented, the orientation session or sessions
offered by the auditor since the previous April first.
(f) The auditor may charge a registration fee for the
orientation session to cover the cost of providing the orientation
session. The fee may be paid from funds available to a board or
commission.
(g) Notwithstanding the member's normal rate of compensation
for serving on a board, a member attending the orientation session
may be reimbursed for necessary and actual expenses, as long as the
member attends the complete orientation session.
(h) Ex officio members who are elected or appointed state
officers or employees, and members of boards or commissions that
have purely advisory functions with respect to a department or
agency of the state, are exempt from the requirements of this
section.