WEST virginia legislature
2020 regular session
Introduced
Senate Bill 667
By Senators Beach and Plymale
[Introduced January 30,
2020; referred
to the Committee on Government Organization]
A BILL to amend and reenact §5-28-2 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to modifying the composition of the Commission on Holocaust Education.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
Article 28. Commission on holocaust education.
§5-28-2. Commission on holocaust education; compensation.
(a) Effective July 1, 2001, there is created the West Virginia commission on holocaust education.
(b) The commission is
composed of eleven 13 members: Two members currently serving on
the State Board of Education, selected by the board; the State Superintendent
of Schools or his or her designee; the director of the division of veterans’
affairs; one attorney from the Attorney General’s office, civil rights
division; one member of the Women’s Commission; the director of the Office
of Minority Affairs; one teacher who has completed professional development
related to holocaust education world studies teaching at the
high-school level and one teacher who has completed professional development
related to holocaust education world studies teaching at the junior-high
or middle-school level, each appointed by the Governor with the advice and
consent of the Senate; and four state residents, appointed by the Governor,
with the advice and consent of the Senate, who shall be: Individuals who are
holocaust scholars or individuals experienced in the field of holocaust
education or survivors, second generation, eye-witness/liberators or
individuals recommended by the chair of the present holocaust education commission,
created by executive order, who, by virtue of their interest, education or
long-term involvement in human rights, prejudice reduction and holocaust
education have demonstrated, through their past commitment and cooperation with
the existing holocaust commission on education, their willingness to work for
holocaust awareness and education in West Virginia.
(c) Members of the
commission shall be appointed for terms of three years or until their
prospective successors are appointed and qualified. Members are eligible for
reappointment. Any member of the commission who fails to attend more than two
three consecutive meetings without an excuse approved by the commission
may be removed from the commission. All vacancies shall be filled by appointment
in the same manner as the original appointment and the individual appointed to
fill the vacancy serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.
(d) The Governor shall appoint a chairperson for the commission for a term of three years and until his or her successor is appointed and qualified.
(e) The Speaker of the House of Delegates shall appoint a member of the House of Delegates and the President of the Senate shall appoint a member of the Senate to serve as advisors to the commission.
(f) Members of the commission are not entitled to compensation for services performed as members but may be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred for each day engaged in the performance of their official commission duties in a manner consistent with the guidelines of the travel management office of the Department of Administration.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to modify the composition of the commission for holocaust education.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.