(b) Within thirty days after the effective date of this section, the governor, the University of West Virginia board of trustees and the board of directors of the state college system, the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Delegates shall make their respective initial appointments to the commission. The terms of office for nonlegislative appointed members are seven years. Each member shall hold office from the date of his or her appointment until the end of the term for which he or she was appointed. Members may be reappointed. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided for original appointments. A member shall continue in office until his or her successor takes office or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first. The terms of legislative members shall be for the term for which they were elected.
(c) Notwithstanding the terms of office stated for members in subsection (b) of this section, each member serves at the pleasure of his or her appointing authority and the appointing authority may remove his or her appointee at any time and for any reason.
(d) Seven members constitute a quorum and an affirmative vote of a majority of those members present is necessary to transact business of the commission. In the event of the absence of a member appointed by the president of the Senate or by the speaker of the House of Delegates, the president of the Senate or the speaker of the House of Delegates may become a member, as the case may be, or may designate an alternative member of the commission.
(e) Before entering upon the duties of office, each member shall take the oath of office prescribed by the constitution of West Virginia.
(f) Members of the commission shall receive no compensation but shall be reimbursed for their necessary and actual expenses incurred in the course of duties as members of the commission.
(g) The commission shall provide for the election of officers. The commission shall meet at least three times annually or upon the call of the chairperson or upon the request of five or more members.
(h) The West Virginia development office, as requested by the commission, shall provide the commission with meeting space and staff services and other technical assistance. The West Virginia development office shall assist the commission with the costs of production and distribution of commission reports. If the commission determines, by a majority vote, to have any study conducted by a third party, the funds for the study shall be derived from contributions from the steel industry or other interested parties.
have and may exercise all powers necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this article, including the power:
(a) To conduct an examination of existing federal and state laws which currently affect the production and consumption of West Virginia steel;
(b) To study problems which the West Virginia steel and steel-related industries currently face including unfair competition from foreign industries, the economic factors affecting the West Virginia steel industry, and other matters relevant to the future of the steel and steel-related industries in this state;
(c) To facilitate and provide technical assistance in the creation of public-private partnerships that use incentive packaging as a means to encourage economic growth and the creation of value-added, better paying jobs;
(d) To develop a steel futures program;
(e) To identify training and educational opportunities that enhance the job skills of the workforce of the steel and steel-related industries;
(f) To identify and encourage partnering opportunities between the college and university systems of West Virginia and the steel and steel-related industries that provide education and training support to the growth and stability of those industries in this state;
(g) To recommend that the West Virginia development office enter into contractual agreements that promote the interests of the West Virginia steel and steel-related industries.
(1) The undertaking of projects by the steel and steel-related industries will benefit the people of the state by creating or preserving jobs and employment opportunities; and
(2) The undertaking of projects by the steel and steel-related industries will allow them to compete more effectively in the marketplace.
(b) Projects eligible to receive assistance under the steel futures program may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Research and development specifically related to steel and steel-related industries and feasibility studies for business development within these industries;
(2) Employee training;
(3) Labor and management relations; and
(4) Technology-driven capital investment.
(c) Financial and technical assistance may be in the form and conditioned upon terms as stipulated by each enterprise assistance program administered by the West Virginia development office. No later than the thirtieth day of June, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, and no later than the thirtieth day of June of each year thereafter, the commission shall submit a report to the governor and Legislature describing projects of the steel futures program, results obtained from completed projects of the program and program projects for the next fiscal year.
Acts, 2010 Reg. Sess., Ch. 32. Note: WV Code updated with legislation passed through the 2012 1st Special Session
Print