ENROLLED

Senate Bill No. 774

(By Senators Kessler, Dempsey, Fanning, Minard, White, Barnes,

Caruth, Deem, Harrison, Lanham, McKenzie and Weeks)

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[Passed March 11, 2006; in effect ninety days from passage.]

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AN ACT to amend and reenact §22-1-2, §22-1-7 and §22-1-8 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to the organization of offices within the Department of Environmental Protection; and defining certain terms.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §22-1-2, §22-1-7 and §22-1-8 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
§22-1-2. Definitions.
As used in this chapter, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context:
(1)"Chief" means the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, or his or her designee, who is also the chief executive officer of an office, division or section within the department.

(2) "Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection.
(3) "Director" means the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection or his or her designee.
(4) "Division" means the Department of Environmental Protection.
(5) "Function" means any duty, obligation, power, authority, responsibility, right, privilege, activity or program.
(6) "Office" means any office, division, board, agency, unit, organizational entity or component thereof within the Department of Environmental Protection.
(7) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

§22-1-7. Offices within division.

Consistent with the provisions of this article, the secretary shall, at a minimum, maintain the following offices within the division:
(1) The Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation, which is charged, at a minimum, with administering and enforcing, under the supervision of the director, the provisions of article two of this chapter;
(2) The Division of Mining and Reclamation, which is charged, at a minimum, with administering and enforcing, under the supervision of the director, the provisions of articles three and four of this chapter;
(3) The Division of Air Quality, which is charged, at a minimum, with administering and enforcing, under the supervision of the director, the provisions of article five of this chapter;
(4) The Office of Oil and Gas, which is charged, at a minimum, with administering and enforcing, under the supervision of the director, the provisions of articles six, seven, eight, nine and ten of this chapter;
(5) The Division of Water and Waste Management, which is charged, at a minimum, with administering and enforcing, under the supervision of the director, the provisions of articles eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen and twenty of this chapter; and
(6) The Office of Explosives and Blasting, which is charged, at a minimum, with administering and enforcing, under the supervision of the director, the provisions of article three-a of this chapter.
§22-1-8. Supervisory officers.
(a) The secretary shall appoint a competent and qualified person to be the chief executive officer of each office specified in section seven of this article. The chief executive officer is the principal administrative officer of that office and is accountable and responsible for the orderly and efficient performance of the duties, functions and services of her or his office.
(b) There shall be in the department such other supervisory officers as the secretary determines is necessary to administer the functions of the department. Such supervisory officers are "administrators" as such term is defined in section two, article six, chapter twenty-nine of this code, notwithstanding the fact that the positions filled by such persons are not statutorily created. Any such supervisory officer may be designated by the secretary as a deputy director, assistant director, chief, administrator or other administrative title or designation. Each of the supervisory officers shall be appointed by the secretary and serve at the will and pleasure of the secretary. The compensation of such supervisory officers shall be fixed by the secretary. A single individual may be appointed to serve simultaneously in two distinct supervisory positions, but in a case where a dual appointment is made, the supervisory officer shall not receive additional compensation above that which would be paid for serving in one supervisory position.
(c) A supervisory officer appointed pursuant to the provisions of this section shall report directly to the secretary and shall, in addition to any functions vested in or required to be delegated to such officer, perform additional functions as the secretary may prescribe.
(d) Each supervisory officer of the department shall, before entering upon the discharge of his or her duties, take the oath of office prescribed by section five, article IV of the Constitution of West Virginia and shall execute a bond in the penalty of two thousand dollars, with security to be approved by the Governor, conditioned upon the faithful discharge of their duties, a certificate of the oath and bond shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State. Premiums on the bond shall be paid from the department funds.