2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 6 - Agriculture › Chapter 207 - Promotion and Marketing of Vermont Foods and Products › § 4606. Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Board

§ 4606. Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Board
(a) Creation. There is created a Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Board, which for administrative purposes shall be attached to the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
(b) Organization of Board. The Board shall be composed of:
(1) the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets or designee, who shall serve as chair;
(2) the Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation or designee;
(3) the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development or designee;
(4) the following members appointed by the Speaker of the House:
(A) one member who is a consulting forester;
(B) one member who is actively engaged in maple production;
(C) one member who is actively engaged in on-farm value-added processing;
(D) one member who is actively engaged in manufacturing or distribution of Vermont agricultural products; and
(E) one member with expertise in sales, marketing, or market development;
(5) the following members appointed by the Senate Committee on Committees:
(A) one member who is actively engaged in wood products manufacturing;
(B) one member involved in production agriculture whose primary enterprise is not fluid milk;
(C) one member who is actively engaged in primary wood processing or logging;
(D) one member who is an agriculture and forestry enterprise funder; and
(E) one member who is a person with expertise in rural economic development;
(6) the following members appointed by the Governor:
(A) one member who is a representative of Vermont’s dairy industry who is also a dairy farmer;
(B) one member who is a representative of Vermont’s forestry industry who is also a working forest landowner;
(C) one member with expertise in land planning and conservation efforts that support Vermont’s working landscape; and
(D) one member who is an employee of a Vermont institution engaged in agriculture or forestry education, training, or research; and
(7) the following members, who shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members:
(A) the Manager of the Vermont Economic Development Authority or designee;
(B) the Executive Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund or designee; and
(C) the Executive Director of the Vermont Housing Conservation Board or designee.
(c) Member terms. The members designated in subdivisions (b)(4)-(7) of this section shall be appointed to initial terms of one year for members appointed by the Governor, two years for members appointed by the Senate Committee on Committees, and three years for members appointed by the Speaker of the House. Thereafter, each appointed member shall serve a term of three years or until his or her earlier resignation or removal. A vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority for the remainder of the unexpired term. An appointed member shall not serve more than three consecutive three-year terms.
(d) Officers; committees. The Board may elect officers, establish one or more committees or subcommittees, and adopt such procedural rules as it shall determine necessary and appropriate to perform its work.
(e) Quorum; meetings; voting. A majority of the sitting members shall constitute a quorum, and action taken by the Board may be authorized by a majority of the members present and voting at any regular or special meeting at which a quorum is present. The Board may permit any or all directors to participate in a regular or special meeting by, or conduct the meeting through the use of, any means of communication, including an electronic, telecommunications, and video- or audio-conferencing conference telephone call, by which all members participating may simultaneously or sequentially communicate with each other during the meeting. A member participating in a meeting by this means is deemed to be present in person at the meeting.
(f) Compensation. Private sector members shall be entitled to per diem compensation authorized under 32 V.S.A. § 1010(b) for each day spent in the performance of their duties, and each member shall be reimbursed from the Fund for his or her actual and necessary expenses incurred in carrying out his or her duties. (Added 2011, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 15, 2012; amended 2015, No. 39, § 23.)