H. B. 2990
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss and Delegates Michael,
Tabb, Pino, Varner, Stemple and Beach)
[Introduced
March 11, 2005
; referred to the
Committee on Government Organization.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §20-1-17 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to permitting the Director of the
Division of Natural Resources to set the time and date of the
meeting for the convenience of the public.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §20-1-17 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION.
§20-1-17. Natural Resources Commission -- Organization and
services.
(a) Members of the Natural Resources Commission shall take and
subscribe to the public officer's oath prescribed by the
Constitution before entering upon the duties of their office. All
such executed oaths shall be filed in the office of the Secretary
of State. Members of the Commission shall receive no compensation as such, but each shall be reimbursed for his or her actual and
necessary traveling expenses incurred in the performance of his or
her official duties.
(b) The Director of the department Division shall be ex
officio a member of the Commission and its presiding officer. A
majority of the Commission shall constitute a quorum for
transaction of business. Four regular meetings of the Commission
shall be held each year commencing on the first Monday in the
months of July, October, January and April. One meeting shall be
held in each quarter of the calender year. The date of the meeting
shall be at the discretion of the Director of the Division of
Natural Resources. Special meetings may be convened by the
Governor, the Director or by a majority of the Commission. The
meetings of the Commission shall be regularly held at locations
designated by the Director. the office of the director, but may be
held at other points within the state when need therefor exists as
explained in the call setting forth The time and place of the
meeting shall be announced in accordance with section one, article
nine-a, chapter six, et seq., of this code. The Director shall
furnish all articles and supplies required by the Commission in the
performance of its duties and shall provide necessary stenographic,
secretarial and clerical assistance therefor. All such materials
and services shall be paid for from Department funds.
The Director, at any regular or special meeting of the Commission, may submit to the Commission any program or policy
matters on which he or she wishes to obtain the advice, counsel and
opinion of the Commission and may consult with members of the
Commission on functions, services, policies and practices of the
Department at any time. The Commission shall serve as a body
advisory to the Director and shall perform all other duties
assigned to it by law. It shall have the following powers and
duties:
(1) To consider and study the entire field of legislation and
administrative methods concerning the forests and their maintenance
and development, the protection of fish and game, the
beautification of the state and its highways, and the development
of lands, minerals, waters and other natural resources;
(2) To advise with the Director concerning the conservation
problems of particular localities or districts of the state;
(3) To recommend policies and practices to the Director
relative to any duties imposed upon him or her by law;
(4) To investigate the work of the Director, and for this
purpose to have access at reasonable times to all official books,
papers, documents and records;
(5) To advise or make recommendations to the Governor relative
to natural resources of the state;
(6) To keep minutes of the transactions of each session,
regular or special, which shall be public records and filed with the Director; and
(7) To fix by regulation which it is hereby empowered to
promulgate, in accordance with the provisions of chapter
twenty-nine-a of this code, the open seasons and the bag, creel,
size, age, weight and sex limits with respect to wildlife in this
state.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to permit the Director of
the Division of Natural Resources to set the time and date of the
meeting for the convenience of the public.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.