A BILL to amend and reenact § 30-174 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Commission on Youth; membership; nonlegislative citizen member; person younger than 18 years of age.
HB117 amends the law governing the Virginia Commission on Youth to require that at least one of the three nonlegislative citizen members appointed by the Governor be a minor at the time of appointment. The bill also sets a shorter two-year term for that minor member, while allowing the member to continue serving until the term expires if they turn 18 during the term. The Commission’s existing structure, duties, compensation rules, quorum requirements, and voting procedures would remain otherwise unchanged.
The bill is aimed at adding direct youth representation to a body that studies and makes recommendations on policies and services affecting children, adolescents, and their families. By explicitly allowing a person under 18 to serve as a citizen member, the measure broadens who can participate in the Commission’s work and may bring a more immediate youth perspective to its deliberations.
If enacted, HB117 would amend § 30-174 of the Code of Virginia by changing the membership requirements for the Virginia Commission on Youth. The practical effect would be to reserve one of the Governor’s three citizen appointments for a minor, create a special two-year term for that seat, and clarify that the member may remain in office after turning 18 until the term ends. No other substantive changes to the Commission’s authority or operations are made.
There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials, and the bill was left in the House Committee on Rules. Based on the text alone, the measure appears to be a modest, noncontroversial governance change intended to increase youth participation in a youth-focused commission. The absence of transcripts or votes suggests there is no documented public sentiment in the available record beyond the bill’s introduction.
The main point of potential contention is the policy choice to appoint a person younger than 18 to a state commission, which may raise questions about maturity, legal capacity, scheduling, and whether a minor can effectively serve in a formal governmental role. Another possible issue is whether reserving a citizen seat for a minor could limit the pool of eligible adult applicants. No specific objections or supporters are identified in the available committee materials.