Senate Bill No. 63
(By Senators Ross, Love, Rowe and Anderson)
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[Introduced January 9, 2002; referred to the Committee
on Government Organization; and then to the Committee on
Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section two, article one, chapter
five-f of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to combining the
offices and duties of the state commissioner of highways
and the secretary of transportation; and designating
salary.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section two, article one, chapter five-f of the code
of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
§5F-1-2. Executive departments created; offices of secretary
created.
(a) There are created, within the executive branch of the
state government, the following departments:
(1) Department of administration;
(2) Department of education and the arts;
(3) Department of environmental protection;
(4) Department of health and human resources;
(5) Department of military affairs and public safety;
(6) Department of tax and revenue; and
(7) Department of transportation.
(b) Each department will be is headed by a secretary
appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the
Senate. Each secretary serves at the will and pleasure of the
governor.
(c) The secretary of the department of transportation shall
also serve as the commissioner of highways, with compensation
for this dual position to be paid at the higher of the annual
salary of either the commissioner of highways or the secretary
of transportation.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to mandate that the
Secretary of the Department of Transportation also serve as the
State Commissioner of Highways and that the salary for this dual
position be paid at the higher of the two salaries.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.