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A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 38, consisting of sections numbered
2.2-2699.16
through
2.2-2699.21
, relating to Virginia Fleet Modernization Advisory Council; report.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 38, consisting of sections numbered
2.2-2699.16
through
2.2-2699.21
, as follows:
Article 38
.
Virginia Fleet Modernization Advisory
Council.
§
2.2-2699.16
. The
Virginia Fleet Modernization Advisory Council
; purpose.
The
Virginia Fleet Modernization Advisory Council
(the
Council
) is established as an
advisory
council
in the executive branch of state government
.
The purpose of the
Council
is to
coordinate cost-effective, resilient, and decarbonization-aligned strategies for public and private fleet modernization in the Commonwealth. The Council shall assess current and emerging fleet technologies, strategies, and best practices to support planning and modernization of fleet operations, including cost-effectiveness, efficiency, emissions reductions, safety, and operational resilience.
The Council shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Governor and the General Assembly, providing recommendations and guidance on policies, partnerships, and programs that facilitate coordinated planning and investment in fleet modernization. The Council shall align transportation infrastructure investment, workforce development, and fleet policy with long-term climate, energy, and economic resilience goals through data analysis and stakeholder engagement. The Council shall serve as a coordinating entity to align with other state commissions and agencies, providing
a
forum for fleet input and reducing the need for state agencies to coordinate
separately
. The Council shall focus its work
on
fleet operators across
the
state, local, and private sectors. The Council shall ensure that freight and trucking industry perspectives are integrated into statewide planning, recognizing their essential role in commerce and economic competitiveness.
For purposes of this article, "fleet" means any group of
10
or more motor vehicles owned, leased, operated, controlled, dispatched, or otherwise managed, whether directly or through a contract or agreement, by a
state
agency or private entity in the Commonwealth
, i
nclud
ing
vehicles
that are
registered
in the Commonwealth, extensively used to provide transportation services within its borders, or otherwise integrated into a public or private fleet operation serving
the Commonwealth
.
§
2.2-2699.17
. Membership; terms; quorum; meetings.
The
Council
shall have a total membership of
17
members that shall consist of
1
5
nonlegislative citizen members and
two
ex officio member
s
. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed as follows:
(i)
two memb
ers representing local or regional government fleet operations
to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates;
(ii)
two members, one of
which
shall have
expertise in fleet electrification or clean infrastructure
,
to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules;
(iii)
1
0
member
s
, including
(a)
two representatives of state agencies with major fleet operations,
(
b
)
one representative of
the
Virginia Association of Counties representing county fleet operations,
(
c
)
one representative of the
Virginia Municipal League
representing
municipal and city fleet operations
,
(
d
)
one representative from a public institution of higher education with transportation research expertise,
(
e
)
one
representative of
a statewide public transit agency,
(
f
)
one representative of
a
metropolitan planning organization
,
(
g
)
one private-sector fleet operator
from the trucking and freight industry,
(i)
one private-sector fleet operator with logistics or delivery operations experience, and
(j)
one private-sector fleet operator with
utility or energy sector operations experience
,
to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly
; and
(iv)
one member
with experience in systems planning, public-private partnerships, decarbonization, or advanced mobility and fleet innovation
to be appointed by the Governor upon consideration of the recommendation of the
Speaker of the House of Delegates and Senate
Committee
on Rules
, if any, and subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The
Director of the Department of General Services
and
the
Commissioner of Highways
shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the
Council
shall be citizens of the Commonwealth.
Ex officio members of the
Council
shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.
After the initial staggering of terms, nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for a term of four years.
No nonlegislative citizen member shall serve more than two consecutive four-year terms.
All members may be reappointed.
The remainder of any term to which a member is appointed to fill a vacancy shall not constitute a term in determining the member's eligibility for reappointment.
The
Council
shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The
Council
shall meet
at least once per quarter
. The meetings of the
Council
shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority of the members so request.
§
2.2-2699.18
. Compensation; expenses.
Members shall receive such compensation for the performance of their duties as provided in §
2.2-2813
. All members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§
2.2-2813
and
2.2-2825
.
Such
compensation and
reimbursements
of the members shall be provided by the
Department of Transportation
.
§
2.2-2699.1
9
. Powers and duties of the
Council
.
The
Council
shall have the following powers and duties:
1.
The Council shall develop a Statewide Strategic Fleet Modernization Plan
(the Plan)
that includes: (
i
) modernization goals, including zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicle adoption strategies where practical and cost-effective;
(ii
) advanced vehicle deployment models and emerging technology assessment;
(
iii
) i
nfrastructure planning, investment strategies, and optimization;
(
iv
) f
unding mechanisms, incentive programs, and policy recommendations; and
(
v
) s
trategies to support counties, cities, and smaller jurisdictions in achieving cost savings and operational efficiencies through cooperative procurement, shared infrastructure, and technical assistance
.
The Plan shall address and evaluate
:
a
.
Well-to-wheels lifecycle emissions by vehicle class and fuel type;
b
.
T
otal lifecycle cost modeling, including
p
rocurement cost differentials;
f
uel and electricity cost per mile;
c
harging and fueling infrastructure installation, maintenance, throughput, grid upgrades, and network management;
f
leet facility retrofits, workforce training, and technical certifications;
b
attery and safety risk mitigation strategies, insurance impacts, and fleet downtime; and
t
elematics, performance monitoring, and grid coordination capabilities;
c
.
V
ehicle performance data, including range, duty cycle compatibility, and fleet capacity comparisons;
d
.
M
obile fueling and charging units, operational continuity, and resilience infrastructure;
e
.
P
rocurement models allowing flexibility, technology neutrality, and innovation;
f
.
I
mpacts and opportunities specific to the trucking and freight industry, including depot infrastructure, corridor-based infrastructure needs, freight bottleneck resilience, and emergency detour planning; and
g
.
T
he deployment of autonomous vehicles, connected vehicle systems, and other future mobility technologies, and their integration into public and private fleet operations,
considering
safety, freight efficiency, and rural accessibility.
2.
The Council may form regional or topical subcommittees and technical work
groups as needed to inform its work
.
3.
The Council may provide advisory support to the Department of Transportation, the Department of General Services, and other state agencies in identifying opportunities for federal grant applications and sharing best practices
related to fleet modernization
.
4.
The Council shall promote emergency fleet continuity planning and prioritize infrastructure resiliency during declared emergencies.
5. The Council may hold up to four public stakeholder hearings annually to solicit input from stakeholders, including fleet operators, industry associations, local governments, and advocacy organizations. Summaries of stakeholder input shall be included in the annual report.
6. The Council shall develop recommendations for voluntary guidance, technical assistance, and coordination among agencies and stakeholders. Participation by private sector fleets shall be voluntary, and
any recommendations issued by
the Council shall
be
non-binding
.
7.
The Council shal
l s
ubmit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly for publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports. The chairman shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the
Council
no later than the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall be submitted as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
§
2.2-2699.20
. Staffing.
The
Department of Transportation
shall provide staff support to the
Council
. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the
Council
, upon request.
§
2.2-2699.21
. Sunset.
This chapter shall expire on
July 1, 2031
.
2. That the initial appointments of nonlegislative citizen members shall be staggered as follows: two members representing local or regional government fleet operations to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates for a term of two years; two members, one of which shall have expertise in fleet electrification or clean infrastructure, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules for a term of two years; two members who are representatives of state agencies with major fleet operations and one member who is a representative of a statewide public transit agency to be appointed by the Governor for a term of two years; one member with experience in systems planning, public-private partnerships, decarbonization, or advanced mobility and fleet innovation to be appointed by the Governor upon consideration of the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Delegates and Senate Committee on Rules for a term of two years; and seven members, including (i) one representative of the Virginia Association of Counties representing county fleet operations, (ii) one representative of the Virginia Municipal League representing municipal and city fleet operations, (iii) one representative from a public institution of higher education with transportation research expertise, (iv) one representative of a metropolitan planning organization, (v) one private-sector fleet operator from the trucking and freight industry, (vi) one private-sector fleet operator with logistics or delivery operations experience, and (vii) one private-sector fleet operator with utility or energy sector operations experience, to be appointed by the Governor for a term of one year. After such initial staggering of terms, nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for a term of four years.