A. All capital projects of a covered institution, whether funded by an appropriation of the General Assembly or otherwise, shall be approved by such institution’s governing body, and the governing body of each covered institution shall adopt policies for the review, approval, and implementation of all capital projects undertaken by the institution.
B. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision C 2, capital projects undertaken at a covered institution may be exempt from any capital outlay oversight performed or required by the Department of General Services, the Division of Engineering and Buildings, the Department of Planning and Budget, and any other state agency that supports the functions performed by these departments.
C. Capital projects undertaken at a covered institution shall be subject to the institution’s capital project policies adopted pursuant to subsection A, and:
1. Any capital project undertaken at a covered institution shall be subject to the environmental, historic preservation and conservation requirements of state statutes that are generally applicable to capital projects in the Commonwealth. For purposes of this subdivision, “capital project” means a capital project as defined in § 23-38.89 costing $ 300,000 or more; and
2. If the capital project is funded in whole or in part with a general fund appropriation for that purpose or proceeds from bonds issued under Article X, Section 9(a), 9(b), or 9(c), or 9(d), if such issuance is Commonwealth general fund supported, of the Constitution of Virginia, the project shall remain subject to such pre-appropriation approvals as are in effect from time to time within the executive and legislative branches of state government, but such project may nevertheless be exempt from any and all state post-appropriation review, approval, administrative or other policy or procedure functions performed or required by the Department of General Services, the Division of Engineering and Buildings, the Department of Planning and Budget, and any other state agency that supports the functions performed by these departments, subject to the terms of any management agreement.
3. If a covered institution constructs improvements on land, or renovates property, that originally was acquired or constructed in whole or in part with a general fund appropriation for that purpose or proceeds from bonds issued under Article X, Section 9(a), 9(b), or 9(c), or 9(d), if such issuance is Commonwealth general fund supported, of the Constitution of Virginia, and such improvements or renovations are undertaken entirely with funds not appropriated by the General Assembly, such improvements or renovations must be consistent with such institution’s master plan approved by its governing body and, if the cost of such improvements or renovations is reasonably expected to exceed $ 2 million, the institution’s decision to undertake such improvements or renovations shall be communicated to the Governor and to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Appropriations no later than 60 days prior to (i) commencement of construction or renovation or (ii) issuance of bonds, notes, or other obligations to finance such construction or renovation.
D. A covered institution shall have the authority to designate its own building official who shall be a full-time employee and who is hereby authorized to determine the suitability for occupancy of, and to issue certifications for building occupancy for, all capital projects undertaken at that institution, and who, prior to issuing any such certification, shall ensure that the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (§ 36-97 et seq.) requirements are met for that capital project and that such project has been inspected by the State Fire Marshal or his designee. When serving as the building official, such individual shall report directly and exclusively to the Board of Visitors of the institution and shall be subject to review by the appropriate personnel in the Department of General Services. The designated official shall be certified by the Department of Housing and Community Development to perform this function. The individual employed or contracted to serve in such capacity shall have adequate resources and staff who are certified by the Department of Housing and Community Development in accordance with § 36-137 for such purpose, and who shall review plans, specifications, and documents for compliance with codes and standards and perform required inspections of the work in progress and the completed project. No individual licensed professional architect or engineer hired or contracted to perform these functions shall also perform other code-related design, construction, facilities-related project management or facilities management functions for the institution on the same project.
History
2005, cc. 933, 945.
