In accordance with the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, there is hereby created the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, hereinafter referred to in this section as the "Virginia Council." The Virginia Council shall consist of one member of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; one member of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; five nonlegislative citizen members, including the Superintendent of Public Instruction and one representative from a military installation in Virginia, to be appointed by the Governor; the superintendent of a school district with a high concentration of military children, to be appointed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction; and also the Governor, or his designee. The Department of Education shall employ a military family education liaison to provide staff support to the Virginia Council and to assist military families and the state in facilitating the implementation of this compact.

Legislative members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Nonlegislative citizen members shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. All members may be reappointed. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be made for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.

The Governor shall designate one member of the Virginia Council to serve as compact chairman for a two-year term. The Virginia Council shall meet on the call of the chairman or at the request of a majority of members. A majority of members shall constitute a quorum. The Virginia Council may consider any and all matters related to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children or the general activities and business of the organization and shall have the authority to represent the Commonwealth in all actions of the Compact.

The Virginia Council members shall serve without compensation. All members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§ 2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. The costs of expenses of the legislative members incurred in the performance of their duties shall be paid from appropriations to the Virginia Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation for the attendance of conferences. The costs of expenses of nonlegislative citizen members incurred in the performance of their duties shall be paid from such funds as may be provided for this purpose in the appropriation act.

The chairman of the Virginia Council shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the Virginia Council 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's website.

2009, c. 187; 2010, c. 148; 2011, c. 106.