HOUSE RESOLUTION 13

(By Mr. Speaker (Mr. Armstead) and Delegates Miley and Bates)

[Introduced March 9, 2018; Referred to the Committee on Rules]

Recognizing the Fiftieth Anniversary of the establishment of the Commission on Special Investigations and commending the work of its staff.

Whereas, The West Virginia Legislature established a Purchasing Practices and Procedures Commission by concurrent resolution in 1968 during its Second Extraordinary Session to monitor the state’s contracting and purchasing practices to prevent abuses that had been uncovered in the past; and

Whereas, The Purchasing Practices and Procedures Commission drafted legislation in 1970 that became the basis for state government purchasing procedures that have continued to the present day and, in that same year, the commission drafted the language for the Bribery and Corrupt Practices Act that is now codified in Chapter 61 of the West Virginia Code; and

Whereas, This commission began with a staff of just two employees and the Legislature soon saw the need to dedicate more resources to the mission of the commission, establishing it as a statutory body in 1971; and

Whereas, This commission was and is a unique institution, composed of members of the Legislature and staffed by professional investigators to serve as a special investigatory team for the Legislature; and

Whereas, This commission was renamed the Commission on Special Investigations in 1980 and, at that time, the role of the commission was extended to include the investigation of conflicts of interest, bribery of state officials, malfeasance, and misfeasance of state officials and employees; and

Whereas, After these duties were added, the new commission hired Gary Slater, a retired State Trooper who had previously been assigned to the commission, to become its Director, a position in which he served for 25 years; and

Whereas, The Commission on Special Investigations has worked with nearly every federal agency that has investigatory powers, including, but not limited to, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Health and Human Services, Secret Service, U.S. Marshall Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and General Services Administration; and

Whereas, This commission and its employees have, over the years, received numerous awards and commendations for outstanding investigation by United States Attorneys in Northern and Southern Districts, state executive agencies, the Attorney General’s office, and county prosecutors across the state, as well as uncountable accolades from private citizens and government workers; and

Whereas, The commission staff now includes six investigators with combined experience of over 200 years in law enforcement and investigation and who have served the Legislature and the state with distinction; therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Delegates:

That the House of Delegates hereby recognizes the Fiftieth Anniversary of the establishment of the Commission on Special Investigations and commends the work of its staff; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House deliver a copy of this resolution to the staff of the Commission on Special Investigations.