SPONSOR: Sharpe (4)
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass by Consent" by the Standing Committee on Local Government by a vote of 13 to 0. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Consent and Procedure by a vote of 7 to 0.
Currently, there are two different types of boards of directors for industrial development corporations. In the majority of counties, the board can have any number of directors, not less than five, that are appointed by the County Commission. Certain other counties, including Lewis County, must have a board of directors with the number of directors not less than the number of townships in the county. Each township within the county must elect one director to the board. Beginning with any election after August 28, 2025, this bill repeals the requirement that the board of directors be elected in certain counties.
This bill is the same as HB 1460 (2024).
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that it is very difficult to elect one member from each township in Lewis County. These are volunteer positions and very sparsely-populated areas. Members of the county want to be treated like every other county in the State, as they were before this carve out was created.
Testifying in person for the bill were Representative Sharpe; Ralph Martin, Lewis County IDA.
OPPONENTS: There was no opposition voiced to the committee.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: