Senate Bill No. 164

(By Senators Bowman, Bailey, Ball, Dawson, Kessler, McCabe, Minard, Redd, Wooton, Boley and Minear)

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[Originating in the Committee on Government Organization;


reported January 20, 2000.]

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A BILL to amend and reenact section one, article twenty, chapter twenty-two of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to continuing the environmental advocate.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section one, article twenty, chapter twenty-two of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 20. ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE.
§22-20-1. Appointment of environmental advocate; powers and duties; salary; continuation of position.

The director of the division of environmental protection shall appoint a person to serve as the environmental advocate within the division of environmental protection, and shall adopt and promulgate rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code governing and controlling the qualifications, powers and duties of the person to be appointed to the position of environmental advocate. The environmental advocate shall serve at the will and pleasure of the director, who shall also set the salary of the environmental advocate. All funding for the office of environmental advocate shall be from existing funds of the division of environmental protection. The director shall provide an office and secretarial and support staff as needed. The position of environmental advocate shall continue to exist until the first day of July, two thousand four, pursuant to article ten, chapter four of this code, unless sooner terminated, continued or reestablished by act of the Legislature.
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(NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to continue the Environmental Advocate until July 1, 2004, pursuant to the provisions of the West Virginia Sunset Law.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates language that would be added.

This bill is recommended by the Joint Committee on Government Operations for passage during the regular 2000 Legislative session.)