(a) There is a Maryland Green Building Council. (b) The Council shall include: (1) the Secretary of General Services, or the Secretary's designee; (2) the Secretary of Budget and Management, or the Secretary's designee; (3) the Secretary of the Environment, or the Secretary's designee; (4) the Secretary of Labor, or the Secretary's designee; (5) the Secretary of Natural Resources, or the Secretary's designee; (6) the Secretary of Planning, or the Secretary's designee; (7) the Secretary of Transportation, or the Secretary's designee; (8) the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration, or the Director's designee; (9) the Director of the Interagency Commission on School Construction, or the Director's designee; (10) the Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, or the Chancellor's designee; and (11) six members appointed by the Governor to represent environmental, business, and citizen interests, one of whom has expertise in energy conservation or green building design standards. (c) (1) The term of a member appointed by the Governor is 2 years. (2) The terms of appointed members are staggered. (3) At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies. (4) A member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the remainder of that term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies. (5) The Governor may remove an appointed member for incompetence, misconduct, or failure to perform the duties of the position. (6) A member appointed by the Governor may not receive compensation, but is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget. (d) (1) The Governor shall appoint a chair from among the Council members. (2) The Council may act with an affirmative vote of nine members. (e) Staff support to the Council shall be provided by the Department of General Services, with assistance as necessary to be furnished by other involved agencies and units of State government. (f) The Maryland Green Building Council shall: (1) evaluate current high performance building technologies; (2) provide recommendations concerning the most cost-effective green building technologies that the State might consider requiring in the construction of State facilities, including consideration of the additional cost associated with the various technologies; (3) provide recommendations concerning how to expand green building in the State; (4) develop a list of building types for which green building technologies should not be applied, taking into consideration the operational aspects of facilities evaluated, and the utility of a waiver process where appropriate; (5) establish a process for receiving public input; and (6) develop guidelines for new public school buildings to achieve the equivalent of the current version of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System Silver rating or a comparable rating system or building code as authorized in § 3- 602.1 of this article without requiring an independent certification that the buildings have achieved the required standards. (g) On or before November 1 of each year, the Council shall report to the Governor and the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2-1257 of the State Government Article, as to recommendations for the implementation plan for a higher performance building program in the State and any progress that has been made during the preceding year.
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