Virginia Code 23.1-1016: Covered institutions; operational authority; financial operations; capital projects
A. The governing board of each covered institution shall adopt policies for the review, approval, and implementation of all capital projects undertaken by the institution.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 23.1-1016
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Capital project: means the acquisition of any interest in land, including (i) capital leases and (ii) improvements on the acquired land consisting of (a) new construction of at least 5,000 square feet, (b) new construction costing at least $2 million, or (c) improvements or renovations costing at least $2 million. See Virginia Code 23.1-1000
- Covered institution: means a public institution of higher education that has entered into a management agreement with the Commonwealth to be governed by the provisions of Article 4 (§ 23. See Virginia Code 23.1-1000
- Facilities: means all (i) real, personal, tangible, and intangible property, including all (a) infrastructure suitable for supporting a covered institution's mission and ancillary activities and (b) structures, buildings, improvements, additions, extensions, replacements, appurtenances, lands, rights in land, furnishings, landscaping, approaches, roadways, and other related and supporting facilities held, possessed, owned, leased, operated, or used, in whole or in part, by a covered institution and (ii) rights in such property. See Virginia Code 23.1-1000
- Governing board: includes the State Board and the board of visitors of each baccalaureate public institution of higher education. See Virginia Code 23.1-100
- Management agreement: means an agreement between the Commonwealth and a public institution of higher education that enables such institution to be governed by Article 4 (§ 23. See Virginia Code 23.1-1000
- Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
- Project: means (i) any research program, research facility, or educational facility of a covered institution or equipment necessary or convenient to or consistent with the purposes of such institution, whether or not owned by the institution, including (a) research, training, teaching, dormitory, and classroom facilities and all related and supporting facilities and equipment necessary or desirable in connection with such facilities or incidental to such facilities; (b) office, parking, kitchen, laundry, laboratory, wellness, pharmaceutical, administrative, communications, computer, and recreational and athletics facilities; (c) hotels and related facilities; (d) power plants and equipment; (e) storage space; (f) hospitals; (g) nursing homes; (h) continuing care facilities; (i) self-care facilities; (j) health maintenance centers; (k) medical office facilities; (l) clinics; (m) outpatient clinics; (n) surgical centers; (o) alcohol, substance abuse, and drug treatment centers; (p) sanitariums; (q) hospices; (r) facilities for the residence or care of elderly or chronically ill individuals or individuals with disabilities; (s) residential facilities for nurses, interns, and physicians; (t) other facilities for the treatment of sick, disturbed, or infirm individuals, the prevention of disease, or the maintenance of health; (u) colleges, schools, or divisions offering undergraduate, graduate, professional, or extension programs, or any combination of such programs, for such courses of study as may be appropriate; (v) vehicles, mobile medical facilities, and other transportation equipment; and (w) air transport equipment, including equipment necessary or desirable for the transportation of medical equipment, medical personnel, or patients; and (ii) all lands, buildings, improvements, approaches, and appurtenances necessary or desirable in connection with or incidental to any such program, facility, or equipment. See Virginia Code 23.1-1000
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
- state agency: means the same as that term is defined in § 2. See Virginia Code 1-206
B. All capital projects of a covered institution, whether funded by an appropriation of the General Assembly or otherwise, shall be approved by the institution’s governing board.
C. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision D 2, capital projects undertaken at a covered institution may be exempt from any capital outlay oversight performed or required by the Department of General Services, the Division of Engineering and Buildings, the Department of Planning and Budget, and any other state agency that supports the functions performed by such departments.
D. Capital projects undertaken at a covered institution are subject to the institution’s capital project policies adopted pursuant to subsection A and:
1. Any capital project undertaken at a covered institution that costs $300,000 or more is subject to the environmental, historic preservation, and conservation requirements of state law that are generally applicable to capital projects in the Commonwealth;
2. If the capital project is funded in whole or in part with a general fund appropriation for that purpose or proceeds from bonds issued under Article X, Section 9 (a), 9 (b), or 9 (c) of the Constitution of Virginia, or under Article X, Section 9 (d) of the Constitution of Virginia, if such issuance is supported by general funds, the project shall remain subject to the pre-appropriation approvals that are in effect within the executive and legislative branches of state government but may be exempt under the management agreement from any state post-appropriation review, approval, administrative, or other policy or procedure functions performed or required by the Department of General Services, the Division of Engineering and Buildings, the Department of Planning and Budget, and any other state agency that supports the functions performed by such departments; and
3. If a covered institution constructs improvements on land or renovates property that was originally acquired or constructed in whole or in part with a general fund appropriation for that purpose or proceeds from bonds issued under Article X, Section 9 (a), 9 (b), or 9 (c) of the Constitution of Virginia, or under Article X, Section 9 (d) of the Constitution of Virginia, if such issuance is supported by general funds, and such improvements or renovations are undertaken entirely with funds not appropriated by the General Assembly, such improvements or renovations shall be consistent with such institution’s master plan approved by its governing board and, if the cost of such improvements or renovations is reasonably expected to exceed $2 million, the institution’s decision to undertake such improvements or renovations shall be communicated to the Governor and to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and the House Committee on Appropriations no later than 60 days prior to the (i) commencement of construction or renovation or (ii) issuance of bonds, notes, or other obligations to finance such construction or renovation.
E. Each covered institution may designate a full-time employee to be its own building official and may determine the suitability for occupancy of and issue certifications for building occupancy for all capital projects undertaken at such institution. Such building official shall:
1. Ensure that the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (§ 36-97 et seq.) requirements are met for that capital project and that such project has been inspected by the State Fire Marshal or his designee prior to issuing any such certification;
2. Report directly and exclusively to the governing board of the institution and be subject to review by the appropriate personnel in the Department of General Services;
3. Be certified by the Department of Housing and Community Development to perform this function; and
4. Have adequate resources and staff who are certified by the Department of Housing and Community Development in accordance with § 36-137 for such purpose and who shall review plans, specifications, and documents for compliance with codes and standards and perform required inspections of the work in progress and the completed project.
F. No individual licensed professional architect or engineer hired or contracted to perform the functions set forth in subsection E shall also perform other code-related design, construction, facilities-related project management, or facilities management functions for the institution on the same project.