{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/32.1-73.16.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/32.1-73.16.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/32.1-73.16.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/32.1-73.16.html"}],"law_id":359699,"edition_id":2,"section_id":359699,"structure_id":51456,"section_number":"32.1-73.16","catch_line":"Membership; terms; quorum; meetings; staffing","history":"2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 303.","full_text":"A\n\nThe Council shall have a total membership of 21 members that shall consist of 18 nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members. The Governor shall appoint a chairman and vice-chairman who shall be residents of the Commonwealth and shall not be employed by any federal or state government. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed by the Governor and shall include, in addition to the chairman and the vice-chairman, one representative from an academic research institution in the Commonwealth that receives any grant funding for rare disease research; one geneticist licensed and currently practicing in the Commonwealth; one registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse licensed and currently practicing in the Commonwealth, with experience in treating rare diseases; two physicians with expertise in rare diseases who are licensed and currently practicing medicine in the Commonwealth; one hospital administrator, or his designee, from a hospital in the Commonwealth that provides care to persons diagnosed with rare diseases; two persons who are 18 years of age or older who have been diagnosed with a rare disease; two caregivers of persons with a rare disease; two representatives of rare disease patient organizations operating in the Commonwealth; one licensed pharmacist with experience with drugs used to treat rare diseases; one representative from the biopharmaceutical industry; one representative from health plan companies; and one member from the scientific community who is engaged in rare disease research, which may include a medical researcher with experience conducting research on rare diseases. The Commissioner of Health, the Director of the Department of Medical Assistance Services, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or their designees, shall serve ex officio with nonvoting privileges. Ex officio members of the Council shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.\n\t\t\tNonlegislative citizen members of the Council shall be citizens of the Commonwealth. 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 three years.\n\n\t\t\tEx 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.\n\nB\n\nThe Council shall meet quarterly and the chairman and vice-chairman shall establish a meeting schedule on an annual basis. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.\n\nC\n\nMembers of the Council shall serve without compensation or reimbursement.\n\nD\n\nThe Department of Health shall provide staff support to the Council. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Council, upon request.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1338421,"text":"The Council shall have a total membership of 21 members that shall consist of 18 nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members. The Governor shall appoint a chairman and vice-chairman who shall be residents of the Commonwealth and shall not be employed by any federal or state government. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed by the Governor and shall include, in addition to the chairman and the vice-chairman, one representative from an academic research institution in the Commonwealth that receives any grant funding for rare disease research; one geneticist licensed and currently practicing in the Commonwealth; one registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse licensed and currently practicing in the Commonwealth, with experience in treating rare diseases; two physicians with expertise in rare diseases who are licensed and currently practicing medicine in the Commonwealth; one hospital administrator, or his designee, from a hospital in the Commonwealth that provides care to persons diagnosed with rare diseases; two persons who are 18 years of age or older who have been diagnosed with a rare disease; two caregivers of persons with a rare disease; two representatives of rare disease patient organizations operating in the Commonwealth; one licensed pharmacist with experience with drugs used to treat rare diseases; one representative from the biopharmaceutical industry; one representative from health plan companies; and one member from the scientific community who is engaged in rare disease research, which may include a medical researcher with experience conducting research on rare diseases. The Commissioner of Health, the Director of the Department of Medical Assistance Services, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or their designees, shall serve ex officio with nonvoting privileges. Ex officio members of the Council shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.\n\t\t\tNonlegislative citizen members of the Council shall be citizens of the Commonwealth. 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 three years.\t\t\tEx 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.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":1338422,"text":"The Council shall meet quarterly and the chairman and vice-chairman shall establish a meeting schedule on an annual basis. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":1338423,"text":"Members of the Council shall serve without compensation or reimbursement.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":1338424,"text":"The Department of Health shall provide staff support to the Council. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Council, upon request.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C"}},"ancestry":[{"id":51456,"edition_id":2,"name":"Rare Disease Council","identifier":"19","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":17,"parent_id":51424,"metadata":{"child_laws":4,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:42:35","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:32:16","permalink":{"id":1428851,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":51456,"identifier":"19","token":"32.1\/2\/19","url":"\/32.1\/2\/19\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":51424,"edition_id":2,"name":"Disease Prevention and Control","identifier":"2","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":2,"parent_id":51343,"metadata":{"child_laws":126,"child_structures":32},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:42:20","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:32:13","permalink":{"id":1428745,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":51424,"identifier":"2","token":"32.1\/2","url":"\/32.1\/2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":51343,"edition_id":2,"name":"Health","identifier":"32.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":75,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":857,"child_structures":128},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:40:53","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:32:12","permalink":{"id":1428101,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":51343,"identifier":"32.1","token":"32.1","url":"\/32.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":359697,"structure_id":51456,"section_number":"32.1-73.14","catch_line":"Rare Disease Council; purpose","url":"\/32.1-73.14\/","token":"32.1\/2\/19\/32.1-73.14","metadata":false},{"id":359698,"structure_id":51456,"section_number":"32.1-73.15","catch_line":"Powers and duties of the Council","url":"\/32.1-73.15\/","token":"32.1\/2\/19\/32.1-73.15","metadata":false},{"id":359699,"structure_id":51456,"section_number":"32.1-73.16","catch_line":"Membership; terms; quorum; meetings; staffing","url":"\/32.1-73.16\/","token":"32.1\/2\/19\/32.1-73.16","metadata":false},{"id":359700,"structure_id":51456,"section_number":"32.1-73.17","catch_line":"Rare Disease Council Fund","url":"\/32.1-73.17\/","token":"32.1\/2\/19\/32.1-73.17","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":359698,"structure_id":51456,"section_number":"32.1-73.15","catch_line":"Powers and duties of the Council","url":"\/32.1-73.15\/","token":"32.1\/2\/19\/32.1-73.15","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":359700,"structure_id":51456,"section_number":"32.1-73.17","catch_line":"Rare Disease Council Fund","url":"\/32.1-73.17\/","token":"32.1\/2\/19\/32.1-73.17","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/32.1-73.16\/","history_text":false,"references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1428861,"object_type":"law","relational_id":359699,"identifier":"32.1-73.16","token":"32.1\/2\/19\/32.1-73.16","url":"\/32.1-73.16\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/32.1-73.16\/","token":"32.1\/2\/19\/32.1-73.16","dublin_core":{"Title":"Membership; terms; quorum; meetings; staffing","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 32.1-73.16","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The Council shall have a total membership of 21 members that shall consist of 18 nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members. The Governor shall appoint a chairman and vice-chairman who shall be residents of the Commonwealth and shall not be employed by any federal or state government. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed by the Governor and shall include, in addition to the chairman and the vice-chairman, one representative from an academic research institution in the Commonwealth that receives any grant funding for rare disease research; one geneticist licensed and currently practicing in the Commonwealth; one registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse licensed and currently practicing in the Commonwealth, with experience in treating rare diseases; two physicians with expertise in rare diseases who are licensed and currently practicing medicine in the Commonwealth; one hospital administrator, or his designee, from a hospital in the Commonwealth that provides care to persons<\/span> diagnosed with rare diseases; two persons<\/span> who are 18 years of age or older who have been diagnosed with a rare disease; two caregivers of persons<\/span> with a rare disease; two representatives of rare disease patient organizations operating in the Commonwealth; one licensed pharmacist with experience with drugs used to treat rare diseases; one representative from the biopharmaceutical industry; one representative from health plan companies; and one member from the scientific community who is engaged in rare disease research, which may include a medical researcher with experience conducting research on rare diseases. The Commissioner<\/span> of Health, the Director of the Department<\/span> of Medical Assistance Services, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or their designees, shall serve ex officio with nonvoting privileges<\/span>. Ex officio members of the Council shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.\n\t\t\tNonlegislative citizen members of the Council shall be citizens of the Commonwealth. 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 three years.

\t\t\tEx 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. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The Council shall meet quarterly and the chairman and vice-chairman shall establish a meeting schedule on an annual basis. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Members of the Council shall serve without compensation or reimbursement. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> The Department<\/span> of Health shall provide staff support to the Council. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Council, upon request. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nMEMBERSHIP; TERMS; QUORUM; MEETINGS; STAFFING (\u00a7 32.1-73.16)\n\nA. The Council shall have a total membership of 21 members that shall consist of\n18 nonlegislative citizen members and three ex officio members. The Governor\nshall appoint a chairman and vice-chairman who shall be residents of the\nCommonwealth and shall not be employed by any federal or state government.\nNonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed by the Governor and shall\ninclude, in addition to the chairman and the vice-chairman, one representative\nfrom an academic research institution in the Commonwealth that receives any\ngrant funding for rare disease research; one geneticist licensed and currently\npracticing in the Commonwealth; one registered nurse or advanced practice\nregistered nurse licensed and currently practicing in the Commonwealth, with\nexperience in treating rare diseases; two physicians with expertise in rare\ndiseases who are licensed and currently practicing medicine in the Commonwealth;\none hospital administrator, or his designee, from a hospital in the Commonwealth\nthat provides care to persons diagnosed with rare diseases; two persons who are\n18 years of age or older who have been diagnosed with a rare disease; two\ncaregivers of persons with a rare disease; two representatives of rare disease\npatient organizations operating in the Commonwealth; one licensed pharmacist\nwith experience with drugs used to treat rare diseases; one representative from\nthe biopharmaceutical industry; one representative from health plan companies;\nand one member from the scientific community who is engaged in rare disease\nresearch, which may include a medical researcher with experience conducting\nresearch on rare diseases. The Commissioner of Health, the Director of the\nDepartment of Medical Assistance Services, and the Superintendent of Public\nInstruction, or their designees, shall serve ex officio with nonvoting\nprivileges. Ex officio members of the Council shall serve terms coincident with\ntheir terms of office.\n\t\t\tNonlegislative citizen members of the Council shall be citizens of the\nCommonwealth. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a\nterm, shall be for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same\nmanner as the original appointments. After the initial staggering of terms,\nnonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for a term of three\nyears.\t\t\tEx officio members of the Council shall serve terms coincident with\ntheir terms of office. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration\nof a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the\nsame manner as the original appointments. After the initial staggering of terms,\nnonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for a term of four years.\n\nB. The Council shall meet quarterly and the chairman and vice-chairman shall\nestablish a meeting schedule on an annual basis. A majority of the members shall\nconstitute a quorum.\n\nC. Members of the Council shall serve without compensation or reimbursement.\n\nD. The Department of Health shall provide staff support to the Council. All\nagencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Council, upon\nrequest.\n\nHISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 303.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}