CHAPTER 223

AN ACT to create a Commission on Constitutional Government; to pre-
scribe the membership, terms of office, compensation, and powers
thereof; to impose certain duties upon the Commission in relation
to developing and promulgating information concerning the estab-
lishment and methods of operation of the governments of the State
and of the United States, the liberties preserved to the citizens and
the rights reserved to the States by the Constitutions of the States and
of the United States; to authorize the Commission to cooperate with
luke groups in this or other states.

{S 106]

Approved March 7, 1958

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. There is hereby created a Commission to be known as the
Commission on Constitutional Government. The Commission shall be
composed of fifteen members, of whom four shall be appointed from the
House of Delegates by the Speaker thereof, three shall be appointed from
the Senate of Virginia by the President thereof, and eight shall be ap-
pointed by the Governor from the State at large; the Chairman and Vice-
Chairman of the Commission shall be appointed by the Governor. The
Governor shall be a member ex officio. The initial terms of office of the
members shall begin July 1, nineteen hundred fifty-eight. Members shall
be appointed for four year terms but vacancies other than by expiration
of term shall be filled for the unexpired term. The members of the Com-
mission shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be paid
their expenses incident to service as members of the Commission. The
Commission may employ such technical and other assistants as it deems
necessary in order for it to discharge the duties imposed upon it. The
Commission may hold hearings at such times and places as it deems proper.

§ 2. The Commission shall develop and promulgate information con-
cerning the dual system of government, federal and state, established
under the Constitution of the United States and those of the several
states. It may assemble and make available to interested persons facts
concerning the relationship between the states and the United States, the
powers reserved to the states respectively and the functions delegated
to the central government, and the individual liberties preserved to citizens,
all in accordance with said Constitution of the several states and of the
United States; from time to time the Commission may publish such in-
formation as it deems appropriate in order to acquaint the general public,
both in this State and elsewhere, with the nature of the relationship be-
tween the individual states and the United States and the freedoms re-
served to the states and their individual citizens under the Constitution
of the United States. Such publication may be by book, pamphlet, adver-
tisement or otherwise as the Commission deems appropriate.

§ 8. The Commission may cooperate with groups of like aims and
purposes created by other states or with similar private groups in focusing
the attention of the public on the individual liberties preserved to the
citizens of the several states and the powers reserved to the states by the
Constitutions of the several states and of the United States. The Com-
mission shall in appropriate manner encourage similar activities by in-
terested sister states in order to proclaim and protect the fundamental
rights and powers of each of the several states and of their individual
citizens, and call to the attention of the Congress these basic fundamen-
tals of our dual system of government with limited powers prescribed by
the Federal and State Constitutions.

§ 4. All agencies of the State shall assist the Commission in the
discharge of its duties.

§ 5. The expenses incurred incident to the operation of this act
shall be paid from funds appropriated by law.