Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §12.1-6 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§12.1-6. Election or appointment of members; terms.
The Commission shall consist of three members. Members of the
Commission shall be elected by the joint vote of the two houses of the General
Assembly for regular staggered
terms of six years. At the regular
session of the General Assembly convened in each even-numbered year, one
commissioner shall be elected for a regular six-year term.
Whenever a vacancy in the Commission shall occur or exist when the General Assembly is in session, the General Assembly shall elect a successor for such unexpired term. If the General Assembly is not in session, the Governor shall forthwith appoint pro tempore a qualified person to fill the vacancy for a term ending thirty days after the commencement of the next regular session of the General Assembly, and the General Assembly shall elect a successor for such unexpired term.
The Governor shall commission each of the members of the Commission who shall file his commission in the office of the clerk of the Commission.
2. That, notwithstanding the provision of §12.1-6 of the Code of Virginia, as amended by this act, the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) shall consist of four members. The member of the Commission established by this enactment shall be elected by joint vote of the two houses of the General Assembly for a regular term that begins July 1, 2023. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, upon the next expiration of the term of a member of the Commission or the expiration of the remaining term of a vacancy, whichever occurs earlier, no member shall be elected to fill the expired seat, and the Commission shall consist of three members. Nothing in this act shall affect the terms of any elected member of the Commission serving as of the effective date of this act.