A. 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 or (ii) the aggregate amount of incentives to be provided by the Commonwealth in the incentive package including grants, tax incentives such as credits and exemptions related to economic development or the film or television industry, 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. However, no review shall be required for a project if the only incentives to be provided to a potential project are nondiscretionary tax credits or exemptions available to any qualified taxpayer under existing law.
B. 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.
C. 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.
D. 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.
E. 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.
F. As used in this chapter, "MEI project" means the same as that term is defined in § 2.2-2260.
2009, cc. 246, 311; 2010, cc. 543, 716; 2015, c. 761; 2020, c. 830.