{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/30-309.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/30-309.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/30-309.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/30-309.html"}],"law_id":54670,"edition_id":1,"section_id":54670,"structure_id":13690,"section_number":"30-309","catch_line":"MEI Project Approval Commission; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; definition","history":"2009, cc. 246, 311; 2010, cc. 543, 716; 2015, c. 761; 2020, c. 830; 2023, c. 528.","full_text":"A\n\nThe MEI Project Approval Commission (the Commission) is established as an advisory commission in the legislative branch of state government. The purpose of the Commission shall be to review financing for individual incentive packages, including but not limited to packages offering tax incentives, for economic development, film, and episodic television projects (including but not limited to MEI projects) for which (i) one or more of the incentives in the incentive package is not authorized under current law or an amendment by the General Assembly is being sought to one or more currently existing incentives included as part of the incentive package, (ii) one of the incentives being sought includes a cash payment to a private sector business of more than $3.5 million from any fund prior to any performance metrics being met by the proposed project, or (iii) the aggregate amount of incentives to be provided by the Commonwealth in the incentive package including discretionary grants, general or nongeneral funds, proceeds from bonds, rights to lease property at below fair market value, or any other incentives from the Commonwealth is in excess of $10 million in value. Except for the value of any sales tax exemption available pursuant to subdivision 18 of § 58.1-609.3 or tax credit available pursuant to § 58.1-439.12:03, the value of any existing nondiscretionary incentives shall not be considered in calculating whether the incentives are in excess of $10 million in value, and no review shall be required for a project if the only incentives to be provided to a potential project are nondiscretionary incentives.B\n\nThe Commission shall consist of 14 members as follows: seven members of the House Committee on Appropriations or the House Committee on Finance appointed by the chair of the House Committee on Appropriations and five members of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations appointed by the chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations. In addition, the Secretaries of Finance and Commerce and Trade shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members of the Commission.C\n\nMembers shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Vacancies for unexpired terms shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. Members may be reappointed for successive terms.D\n\nThe members of the Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman annually. A majority of the voting members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the Commission shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority of the members so request.E\n\nLegislative members of the Commission shall receive such compensation as provided in § 30-19.12, and nonlegislative members shall receive such compensation as provided in § 2.2-2813.F\n\nAs used in this chapter, “MEI project” means the same as that term is defined in § 2.2-2260, and “nondiscretionary incentive” means a tax credit, tax exemption, or grant to which a taxpayer or applicant is entitled if he meets the statutory criteria required for the credit, exemption, or grant.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":200728,"text":"The MEI Project Approval Commission (the Commission) is established as an advisory commission in the legislative branch of state government. The purpose of the Commission shall be to review financing for individual incentive packages, including but not limited to packages offering tax incentives, for economic development, film, and episodic television projects (including but not limited to MEI projects) for which (i) one or more of the incentives in the incentive package is not authorized under current law or an amendment by the General Assembly is being sought to one or more currently existing incentives included as part of the incentive package, (ii) one of the incentives being sought includes a cash payment to a private sector business of more than $3.5 million from any fund prior to any performance metrics being met by the proposed project, or (iii) the aggregate amount of incentives to be provided by the Commonwealth in the incentive package including discretionary grants, general or nongeneral funds, proceeds from bonds, rights to lease property at below fair market value, or any other incentives from the Commonwealth is in excess of $10 million in value. Except for the value of any sales tax exemption available pursuant to subdivision 18 of § 58.1-609.3 or tax credit available pursuant to § 58.1-439.12:03, the value of any existing nondiscretionary incentives shall not be considered in calculating whether the incentives are in excess of $10 million in value, and no review shall be required for a project if the only incentives to be provided to a potential project are nondiscretionary incentives.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":200729,"text":"The Commission shall consist of 14 members as follows: seven members of the House Committee on Appropriations or the House Committee on Finance appointed by the chair of the House Committee on Appropriations and five members of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations appointed by the chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations. In addition, the Secretaries of Finance and Commerce and Trade shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members of the Commission.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":200730,"text":"Members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Vacancies for unexpired terms shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. Members may be reappointed for successive terms.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":200731,"text":"The members of the Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman annually. A majority of the voting members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the Commission shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority of the members so request.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C","next_prefix":"E"},"4":{"id":200732,"text":"Legislative members of the Commission shall receive such compensation as provided in § 30-19.12, and nonlegislative members shall receive such compensation as provided in § 2.2-2813.","type":"section","prefixes":["E"],"prefix":"E","entire_prefix":"E","prefix_anchor":"E","level":1,"prior_prefix":"D","next_prefix":"F"},"5":{"id":200733,"text":"As used in this chapter, “MEI project” means the same as that term is defined in § 2.2-2260, and “nondiscretionary incentive” means a tax credit, tax exemption, or grant to which a taxpayer or applicant is entitled if he meets the statutory criteria required for the credit, exemption, or grant.","type":"section","prefixes":["F"],"prefix":"F","entire_prefix":"F","prefix_anchor":"F","level":1,"prior_prefix":"E"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13690,"edition_id":1,"name":"MEI Project Approval Commission","identifier":"47","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12738,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:34","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:34","permalink":{"id":200423,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13690,"identifier":"47","token":"30\/47","url":"\/30\/47\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12738,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Assembly","identifier":"30","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":199019,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12738,"identifier":"30","token":"30","url":"\/30\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":54670,"structure_id":13690,"section_number":"30-309","catch_line":"MEI Project Approval Commission; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; definition","url":"\/30-309\/","token":"30\/47\/30-309","metadata":false},{"id":77955,"structure_id":13690,"section_number":"30-310","catch_line":"Review of incentive packages","url":"\/30-310\/","token":"30\/47\/30-310","metadata":false},{"id":77465,"structure_id":13690,"section_number":"30-310.1","catch_line":"Review of tax financing projects","url":"\/30-310.1\/","token":"30\/47\/30-310.1","metadata":false},{"id":77367,"structure_id":13690,"section_number":"30-311","catch_line":"Staff; cooperation from other state agencies","url":"\/30-311\/","token":"30\/47\/30-311","metadata":false},{"id":78065,"structure_id":13690,"section_number":"30-312","catch_line":"Commission report to General Assembly","url":"\/30-312\/","token":"30\/47\/30-312","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":77955,"structure_id":13690,"section_number":"30-310","catch_line":"Review of incentive packages","url":"\/30-310\/","token":"30\/47\/30-310","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/30-309\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2009. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 246<\/a> and 311<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 4 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2010, chapters 543<\/a> and 716<\/a>; in 2015, chapter 761<\/a>; in 2020, chapter 830<\/a>; in 2023, chapter 528<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":82089,"section_number":"2.2-2261","catch_line":"Virginia Public Building Authority created; purpose; membership; terms; expenses; staff","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-2261\/"},{"id":61078,"section_number":"2.2-2760","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-2760\/"},{"id":71857,"section_number":"2.2-2764","catch_line":"Review by MEI Commission","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-2764\/"},{"id":65952,"section_number":"33.2-1529.1","catch_line":"Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund","order_by":null,"url":"\/33.2-1529.1\/"},{"id":58979,"section_number":"59.1-284.42","catch_line":"Cloud Computing Cluster Infrastructure Grant Fund","order_by":null,"url":"\/59.1-284.42\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":83401,"section_number":"2.2-2260","catch_line":"Short title; definition","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-2260\/"},{"id":81066,"section_number":"30-19.12","catch_line":"Compensation of members of the General Assembly and certain commissions engaged in legislative services","order_by":null,"url":"\/30-19.12\/"},{"id":77683,"section_number":"58.1-439.12:03","catch_line":"Motion picture production tax credit","order_by":null,"url":"\/58.1-439.12_03\/"},{"id":69050,"section_number":"58.1-609.3","catch_line":"Commercial and industrial exemptions","order_by":null,"url":"\/58.1-609.3\/"}],"permalink":{"id":200425,"object_type":"law","relational_id":54670,"identifier":"30-309","token":"30\/47\/30-309","url":"\/30-309\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/30-309\/","token":"30\/47\/30-309","dublin_core":{"Title":"MEI Project Approval Commission; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; definition","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 30-309","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The MEI Project<\/span> Approval Commission (the Commission) is established as an advisory commission in the legislative branch of state government. The purpose of the Commission shall be to review financing for individual incentive packages, including but not limited to packages offering tax incentives, for economic development, film, and episodic television projects (including but not limited to MEI projects<\/span>) for which (i) one or more of the incentives in the incentive package is not authorized under current law<\/span> or an amendment by the General Assembly is being sought to one or more currently existing incentives included as part of the incentive package, (ii) one of the incentives being sought includes a cash payment to a private sector business of more than $3.5 million from any fund prior to any performance metrics being met by the proposed project, or (iii) the aggregate amount of incentives to be provided by the Commonwealth in the incentive package including discretionary grants, general or nongeneral funds, proceeds from bonds<\/span>, rights to lease property at below fair market value, or any other incentives from the Commonwealth is in excess of $10 million in value. Except for the value of any sales tax exemption available pursuant to subdivision 18 of § 58.1-609.3<\/a> or tax credit available pursuant to § 58.1-439.12:03<\/a>, the value of any existing nondiscretionary incentives<\/span> shall not be considered in calculating whether the incentives are in excess of $10 million in value, and no review shall be required for a project if the only incentives to be provided to a potential project are nondiscretionary incentives<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The Commission shall consist of 14 members as follows: seven members of the House Committee on Appropriations or the House Committee on Finance appointed by the chair of the House Committee on Appropriations and five members of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations appointed by the chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations. In addition, the Secretaries of Finance and Commerce and Trade shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members of the Commission. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Vacancies for unexpired terms shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. Members may be reappointed for successive terms. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> The members of the Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman annually. A majority of the voting members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the Commission shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority of the members so request. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

E.<\/span> Legislative members of the Commission shall receive such compensation as provided in § 30-19.12<\/a>, and nonlegislative members shall receive such compensation as provided in § 2.2-2813<\/a>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

F.<\/span> As used in this chapter, “MEI project<\/span>” means the same as that term is defined in § 2.2-2260<\/a>, and “nondiscretionary incentive<\/span>” means a tax credit, tax exemption, or grant to which a taxpayer or applicant is entitled if he meets the statutory criteria required for the credit, exemption, or grant. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nMEI PROJECT APPROVAL COMMISSION; MEMBERSHIP; TERMS; COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES;\nDEFINITION (\u00a7 30-309)\n\nA. The MEI Project Approval Commission (the Commission) is established as an\nadvisory commission in the legislative branch of state government. The purpose\nof the Commission shall be to review financing for individual incentive\npackages, including but not limited to packages offering tax incentives, for\neconomic development, film, and episodic television projects (including but not\nlimited to MEI projects) for which (i) one or more of the incentives in the\nincentive package is not authorized under current law or an amendment by the\nGeneral Assembly is being sought to one or more currently existing incentives\nincluded as part of the incentive package, (ii) one of the incentives being\nsought includes a cash payment to a private sector business of more than $3.5\nmillion from any fund prior to any performance metrics being met by the proposed\nproject, or (iii) the aggregate amount of incentives to be provided by the\nCommonwealth in the incentive package including discretionary grants, general or\nnongeneral funds, proceeds from bonds, rights to lease property at below fair\nmarket value, or any other incentives from the Commonwealth is in excess of $10\nmillion in value. Except for the value of any sales tax exemption available\npursuant to subdivision 18 of § 58.1-609.3 or tax credit available pursuant\nto § 58.1-439.12:03, the value of any existing nondiscretionary incentives\nshall not be considered in calculating whether the incentives are in excess of\n$10 million in value, and no review shall be required for a project if the only\nincentives to be provided to a potential project are nondiscretionary\nincentives.\n\nB. The Commission shall consist of 14 members as follows: seven members of the\nHouse Committee on Appropriations or the House Committee on Finance appointed by\nthe chair of the House Committee on Appropriations and five members of the\nSenate Committee on Finance and Appropriations appointed by the chair of the\nSenate Committee on Finance and Appropriations. In addition, the Secretaries of\nFinance and Commerce and Trade shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members of\nthe Commission.\n\nC. Members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Vacancies\nfor unexpired terms shall be filled in the same manner as the original\nappointments. Members may be reappointed for successive terms.\n\nD. The members of the Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman\nannually. A majority of the voting members of the Commission shall constitute a\nquorum. The meetings of the Commission shall be held at the call of the chairman\nor whenever the majority of the members so request.\n\nE. Legislative members of the Commission shall receive such compensation as\nprovided in § 30-19.12, and nonlegislative members shall receive such\ncompensation as provided in § 2.2-2813.\n\nF. As used in this chapter, “MEI project” means the same as that\nterm is defined in § 2.2-2260, and “nondiscretionary incentive”\nmeans a tax credit, tax exemption, or grant to which a taxpayer or applicant is\nentitled if he meets the statutory criteria required for the credit, exemption,\nor grant.\n\nHISTORY: 2009, cc. 246, 311; 2010, cc. 543, 716; 2015, c. 761; 2020, c. 830;\n2023, c. 528.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}