WEST virginia legislature

2021 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 616

By Senators Phillips and Smith

[Introduced March 10, 2021; referred
to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining]

A BILL to amend and reenact §22-20-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to abolishing the environmental advocate within the Department of Environmental Protection.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 20. ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE.

§22-20-1. Appointment of environmental advocate; powers and duties; salary.

The director of the Division of Environmental Protection shall appoint a person to serve as the environmental advocate within the Division of Environmental Protection, and shall adopt and promulgate rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code governing and controlling the qualifications, powers and duties of the person to be appointed to the position of environmental advocate. The environmental advocate shall serve at the will and pleasure of the director, who shall also set the salary of the environmental advocate. All funding for the office of environmental advocate shall be from existing funds of the Division of Environmental Protection. The director shall provide an office and secretarial and support staff as needed

The office of environmental advocate within the Department of Environmental Protection is hereby abolished effective July 1, 2021. Any unused funds provided on behalf of the Department of Environmental Protection to fund the office of environmental advocate shall be deposited into the State General Revenue Fund.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to is to abolish the office of environmental advocate effective July 1, 2021. Unused funds are to be deposited into the State General Fund.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.