§49-6-113. Clearinghouse Advisory Council; members, appointments and expenses; appointment, duties and compensation of director; annual reports.

(a) The Clearinghouse Advisory Council is continued as a body corporate and politic, constituting a public corporation and government instrumentality. The council shall consist of 11 members who are knowledgeable about and interested in issues relating to missing or exploited children, as follows:

(1) Six members to be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, with not more than four belonging to the same political party, three being from different congressional districts of the state and, as nearly as possible, providing broad state geographical distribution of members of the council, and at least one representing a nonprofit organization involved with preventing the abduction, runaway, or exploitation of children or locating missing or missing and endangered children;

(2) The Secretary of the Department of Human Services or his or her designee;

(3) The Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police or his or her designee;

(4) The State Superintendent of Schools or his or her designee;

(5) The Director of the Division of Administrative Services or his or her designee; and

(6) The Commissioner of the Bureau for Children and Families or his or her designee.

(b) The Governor shall appoint the six council members for staggered terms. The terms of the members first taking office on or after the effective date of this legislation shall expire as designated by the Governor. Each subsequent appointment shall be for a full three-year term. Any appointed member whose term is expired shall serve until a successor has been duly appointed and qualified. Any person appointed to fill a vacancy may serve only for the unexpired term. A member is eligible for only one successive reappointment. A vacancy shall be filled by the Governor in the same manner as the original appointment was made.

(c) Members of the council are not entitled to compensation for services performed as members but are entitled to reimbursement for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties in a manner consistent with the guidelines of the Travel Management Office of the Department of Administration.

(d) A majority of serving members constitutes a quorum for the purpose of conducting business. The chair of the council shall be designated by the Governor from among the appointed council members who represent nonprofit organizations involved with preventing the abduction, runaway, or exploitation of children or locating missing children or missing and endangered children. The term of the chair shall run concurrently with his or her term of office as a member of the council. The council shall meet semiannually at the call of the chair. The council shall conduct all meetings in accordance with the open governmental meetings law pursuant to §6-9A-1 et seq. of this code.

(e) The employee of the West Virginia State Police who is primarily responsible for the clearinghouse established by §49-6-101 of this code, shall serve as the executive director of the council. He or she shall receive no additional compensation for service as the executive director of the council but shall be reimbursed for any reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of his or her duties as executive director in a manner consistent with the guidelines of the Travel Management Office of the Department of Administration.

(f) The executive director shall provide or obtain information necessary to support the administrative work of the council and, to that end, may contract with one or more nonprofit organizations or state agencies for research and administrative support.

(g) The executive director of the council shall be available to the Governor and to the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the President of the Senate to analyze and comment upon proposed legislation and rules which relate to or materially affect missing or exploited children.

(h) The council shall prepare and publish an annual report of its activities and accomplishments and submit it to the Governor and the Legislature on or before December 15 of each year.