The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Program Professional Standards Committee (the Committee) shall establish voluntary accreditation standards and procedures by which local sexual and domestic violence programs can be systematically measured and evaluated with a peer-reviewed process. The Committee may adopt bylaws for its operation, membership terms, fees, and other items as necessary. Fees for accreditation shall be used to support any administrative costs of the Department. Upon request of the Committee, the Department and the Virginia sexual and domestic violence coalition may provide accreditation assistance and training and resource material that will assist the local programs in obtaining or retaining accreditation.

The Committee shall consist of the following: six directors of local sexual and domestic violence programs appointed by the Advisory Committee on Sexual and Domestic Violence, six directors of local sexual and domestic violence programs appointed by the Virginia sexual and domestic violence coalition, one nonvoting member appointed by the Department, and one nonvoting member appointed by the Virginia sexual and domestic violence coalition. The appointments made by the Advisory Committee on Sexual and Domestic Violence and the Virginia sexual and domestic violence coalition shall both adhere to the following requirements: appointments shall be representative of regional and geographic locations and types of local sexual and domestic violence programs and shall include a director of a program concentrating solely on sexual violence, a director of a program concentrating solely on domestic violence, and four directors of programs concentrating on both sexual and domestic violence. A chairman and vice-chairman, who shall be voting members, shall be elected annually, and each position shall alternate between a director who is appointed by the Advisory Committee and a director who is appointed by the coalition; if the chairman is a director appointed by the Advisory Committee, the vice-chairman shall be a person appointed by the coalition, and vice versa.

2015, cc. 222, 402.