The General Assembly hereby enacts, and the Commonwealth of Virginia hereby enters into, the Southern Regional Education Compact of 1950 with any and all states legally joining therein according to its terms agreed to in Senate Joint Resolution 22 (1950), as amended by the House Joint Resolution No. 28 (1956), in the form substantially as follows:

§ 1. Agreement.

In consideration of the mutual agreements, covenants and obligations assumed by the respective States who are parties to this compact (hereinafter referred to as States), the States do hereby form a geographical district or region consisting of the areas lying within the boundaries of the contracting States which, for the purposes of this compact, shall constitute an area for regional education supported by public funds derived from taxation by the constituent States and derived from other sources for the establishment, acquisition, operation and maintenance of regional educational schools and institutions for the benefit of citizens of the respective States residing within the region so established as may be determined from time to time in accordance with the terms and provisions of this compact.

§ 2. Southern Regional Education Board established; membership; terms.

The States do further hereby establish and create a joint agency, which shall be known as the Board of Control for Southern Regional Education (hereinafter referred to as the Board). The members of the Board shall consist of the Governor of each State, ex officio, and four additional citizens of each State to be appointed by the Governor thereof, at least one of whom shall be selected from the field of education, and at least one of whom shall be a member of the Legislature of that State. The Governor shall continue as a member of the Board during his tenure of office as Governor of the State, but the members of the Board appointed by the Governor shall hold office for a period of four years following the initial staggering of terms. Vacancies on the Board caused by death, resignation, refusal or inability to serve, shall be filled by appointment by the Governor for the unexpired portion of the term.

§ 3. Officers and meetings.

The officers of the Board shall be a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and such additional officers as may be created by the Board from time to time. The Board shall meet annually and officers shall be elected to hold office until the next annual meeting. The Board shall have the right to formulate and establish by-laws not inconsistent with the provisions of this compact to govern its own actions in the performance of the duties delegated to it including the right to create and appoint an Executive Committee and a Finance Committee with such powers and authority as the Board may delegate to them from time to time. The Board may, within its discretion, elect as its Chairman a person who is not a member of the Board, provided such person resides within a signatory State, and upon such election such person shall become a member of the Board with all the rights and privileges of such membership.

§ 4. Powers and duties.

It shall be the duty of the Board to submit plans and recommendations to the States from time to time for their approval and adoption by appropriate legislative action for the development, establishment, acquisition, operation and maintenance of educational schools and institutions within the geographical limits of the regional area of the States, of such character and type and for such educational purposes, professional, technological, scientific, literary, or otherwise, as they may deem and determine to be proper, necessary or advisable. Title to all such educational institutions when so established by appropriate legislative actions of the States and to all properties and facilities used in connection therewith shall be vested in the Board as the agency of and for the use and benefit of the States and the citizens thereof, and all such educational institutions shall be operated, maintained and financed in the manner herein set out, subject to any provisions or limitations which may be contained in the legislative acts of the States authorizing the creation, establishment and operation of such educational institutions.

In addition, the Board shall have the power to enter into such agreements or arrangements with any of the States and with educational institutions or agencies, as may be required in the judgment of the Board, to provide adequate services and facilities for the graduate, professional, and technical education for the benefit of the citizens of the respective States residing within the region, and such additional and general power and authority as may be vested in the Board from time to time by legislative enactment of the States.

§ 5. Supplemental agreements.

Any two or more States who are parties of the compact shall have the right to enter into supplemental agreements providing for the establishment, financing and operation of regional educational institutions for the benefit of citizens residing within an area that constitutes a portion of the general region created, such institutions to be financed exclusively by such States and to be controlled exclusively by the members of the Board representing such States provided such agreement is submitted to and approved by the Board prior to the establishment of such institutions.

§ 6. Funding.

Each State agrees that, when authorized by the legislature, it will from time to time make available and pay over to the Board such funds as may be required for the establishment, acquisition, operation and maintenance of such regional educational institutions as may be authorized by the States under the terms of this compact, the contribution of each State at all times to be in the proportion that its population bears to the total combined population of the States who are parties as shown from time to time by the most recent official published report of the Bureau of the Census of the United States of America; or upon such other basis as may be agreed upon.

§ 7. Effective date.

This compact shall not take effect or be binding upon any State unless and until it shall be approved by proper legislative action of as many as six or more of the States whose governors have subscribed to this compact within a period of 18 months from the subscribed date. When and if six or more States shall have given legislative approval to this compact within the 18-month period, it shall be and become binding upon the six or more States 60 days after the date of legislative approval by the sixth State and the governors of such six or more States shall name the members of the Board from their States, and the Board shall then meet on call of the governor of any State approving this compact, at which time the Board shall elect officers, adopt bylaws, appoint committees and otherwise fully organize. Other States whose names are subscribed to this compact shall thereafter become parties upon approval of this compact by legislative action within two years from the subscribed date, upon such conditions as may be agreed upon at the time. However, any State whose constitution may require amendment in order to permit legislative approval of the compact, shall become a party upon approval of this compact by legislative action within seven years from the subscribed date, upon such conditions as may be agreed upon at the time.

§ 8. Termination and withdrawal.

After becoming effective this compact shall thereafter continue until terminated by unanimous action of the States. A State may withdraw from this compact if such withdrawal is approved by its legislature. Such withdrawal shall become effective two years after written notice to the Board accompanied by a certified copy of the requisite legislative action, but such withdrawal shall not relieve the withdrawing State from its obligations accruing up to the effective date of such withdrawal. Any State so withdrawing shall ipso facto cease to have any claim to or ownership of any of the property held or vested in the Board or to any of the funds of the Board held under the terms of this compact.

§ 9. Defaulting states.

If any State shall at any time become in default in the performance of any of its obligations assumed herein or with respect to any obligation imposed upon the State as authorized by and in compliance with the terms and provisions of this compact, all rights, privileges and benefits of such defaulting State, its members on the Board and its citizens shall ipso facto be and become suspended from and after the date of such default. Unless such default shall be remedied and made good within a period of one year immediately following the date of such default this compact may be terminated with respect to such defaulting State by an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the members of the Board (exclusive of the members representing the State in default), from and after which time such State shall cease to be a party to this compact and shall have no further claim to or ownership of any of the property held by or vested in the Board or to any of the funds of the Board held under the terms of this compact, but such termination shall in no manner release such defaulting State from any accrued obligation or otherwise affect this compact or the rights, duties, privileges or obligations of the remaining States.

2004, c. 1000.