                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

COMMISSION ON VASAP; PURPOSE; MEMBERSHIP; TERMS; MEETINGS; STAFFING;
COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES; CHAIRMAN&#8217;S EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (§ 18.2-271.2)

A. There is hereby established in the legislative branch of state government the
Commission on the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP). The Commission
shall administer and supervise the state system of local alcohol and safety
action programs, develop and maintain operation and performance standards for
local alcohol and safety action programs, and allocate funding to such programs.
The Commission shall have a total membership of 15 members that shall consist of
six legislative members and nine nonlegislative citizen members. Members shall
be appointed as follows: four current or former members of the House Committee
for Courts of Justice, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates;
two members of the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice, to be appointed by
the Senate Committee on Rules; three sitting or retired judges, one each from
the circuit, general district and juvenile and domestic relations district
courts, who regularly hear or heard cases involving driving under the influence
and are familiar with their local alcohol safety action programs, to be
appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on District Courts; one director of a
local alcohol safety action program to be appointed by the Speaker of the House
of Delegates upon consideration of the recommendations of the legislative
members of the Commission; one director of a local alcohol safety action program
to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules upon consideration of the
recommendations of the legislative members of the Commission; one representative
from the law-enforcement profession, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House
and one nonlegislative citizen at large, to be appointed by the Senate Committee
on Rules; one representative from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
whose duties are substantially related to matters to be addressed by the
Commission to be appointed by the Commissioner of the Department of Motor
Vehicles, and one representative from the Department of Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services whose duties also substantially involve such matters, to
be appointed by the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental
Services. Legislative members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of
office. In accordance with the staggered terms previously established,
nonlegislative citizen members shall serve two-year terms. All members may be
reappointed. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term,
shall be made for the unexpired terms. Any appointment to fill a vacancy shall
be made in the same manner as the original appointment.

B. The Commission shall meet at least four times each year at such places as it
may from time to time designate. A majority of the members shall constitute a
quorum. The Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its
membership.
			The Commission shall be empowered to establish and ensure the maintenance of
minimum standards and criteria for program operations and performance,
accounting, auditing, public information and administrative procedures for the
various local alcohol safety action programs and shall be responsible for
overseeing the administration of the statewide VASAP system. Such programs shall
be certified by the Commission in accordance with procedures set forth in the
Commission on VASAP Certification Manual. The Commission shall also oversee
program plans, operations and performance and a system for allocating funds to
cover deficits that may occur in the budgets of local programs.

C. The Commission shall appoint and employ and, at its pleasure, remove an
executive director and such other persons as it may deem necessary, and
determine their duties and fix their salaries or compensation.

D. The Commission shall appoint a Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program
Advisory Board to make recommendations to the Commission regarding its duties
and administrative functions. The membership of such Board shall be appointed in
the discretion of the Commission and include personnel from (i) local safety
action programs, (ii) the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental
Services, community services boards, or behavioral health authorities and (iii)
other community mental health services organizations. An assistant attorney
general who provides counsel in matters relating to driving under the influence
shall also be appointed to the Board.

E. Legislative members of the Commission shall receive compensation as provided
in &#xA7; 30-19.12. Funding for the costs of compensation of legislative members
shall be provided by the Commission. All members shall be reimbursed for all
reasonable and necessary expenses as provided in &#xA7;&#xA7; 2.2-2813 and
2.2-2825 to be paid out of that portion of moneys paid in VASAP defendant entry
fees which is forwarded to the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program.

F. The chairman of the Commission shall submit to the Governor and the General
Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the
Commission no later than the first day of each regular session of the General
Assembly. The executive summary shall be submitted as provided in the procedures
of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of
legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General
Assembly&#8217;s website.

HISTORY: 1986, c. 580; 1988, cc. 781, 859, 888; 1990, cc. 1, 317; 1992, c. 560;
1993, c. 757; 2003, c. 885; 2005, c. 758; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2018, c. 576.