CODE OF VIRGINIA

(EXPIRES JULY 1, 2018) AUTISM ADVISORY COUNCIL CREATED; PURPOSE; MEMBERSHIP;
STAFF (§ 30-326)

A. The Autism Advisory Council (the Council) is established as an advisory
council in the legislative branch of state government to promote coordination of
services and resources among agencies involved in the delivery of services to
Virginians with autism spectrum disorders and to increase public awareness of
such services and resources.

B. The Council shall have a total membership of eight members that shall consist
of six legislative members and two nonlegislative citizen members. Members shall
be appointed as follows: two members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate
Committee on Rules; four members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by
the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of
proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates;
and two nonlegislative citizen members, of whom one shall be a practicing
pediatrician and one shall be an advocate for autism spectrum disorders, to be
appointed by the Governor. The Council shall request the participation of the
Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Commissioner
for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Commissioner of Health, the
Commissioner of Social Services, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the
Executive Director of the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, the
Director of the Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Director of the
Virginia Autism Resource Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, and the
president of Commonwealth Autism Service, or their designees. Nonlegislative
citizen members of the Council shall be citizens of the Commonwealth. Unless
otherwise approved in writing by the chairman of the Council and the respective
Clerk, nonlegislative citizen members shall only be reimbursed for travel
originating and ending within the Commonwealth for the purpose of attending
meetings.

C. Legislative members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.
All appointments of nonlegislative citizen members shall be for four-year terms.
Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for
the unexpired terms. Legislative and citizen members may be reappointed;
however, no citizen member shall serve more than two consecutive four-year
terms. The remainder of any term to which a member is appointed to fill a
vacancy shall not constitute a term in determining the member’s term
limit. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointments.Legislative members of the Council shall receive such compensation
as provided in § 30-19.12 and nonlegislative citizen members shall receive such
compensation as provided in § 2.2-2813 for their services. All members shall be
reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance
of their duties as provided in §§ 2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. However, all such
compensation and expense payments shall be paid from existing appropriations to
the Council or, if unfunded, shall be approved by the Joint Rules Committee.

D. The Council shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman annually, who shall be
members of the General Assembly. A majority of the members of the Council shall
constitute a quorum. The Council shall meet no more than four times a year, upon
the call of the chairman or the majority of the members.

E. Administrative staff support shall be provided by the Office of the Clerk of
the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Delegates, as may be appropriate for the
house in which the chairman serves. The Division of Legislative Services shall
provide legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the
Council.

F. No recommendation of the Council shall be adopted if a majority of the Senate
members or a majority of the House members appointed to the Council (i) vote
against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail
notwithstanding the majority vote of the Council.

HISTORY: 2011, c. 752; 2012, cc. 803, 835.