The Virginia Ports and Port Authority Study Commission was created in 1978 (Senate Joint Resolution No. 6) to make a comprehensive study of Virginia's ports and the Virginia Port Authority (VPA). Based both on public testimony before the commission and also on the report of the commission's consultants (Booz, Allen and Hamilton), the commission finds that the efficient operation of Virginia's ports requires that:

1. The operations of state-owned port facilities should be changed from the current decentralized form of management to a centralized form of operating management under the direct administration of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA);

2. The composition of the Board of Commissioners of the VPA should be changed both to provide for a shortened 5-year term for commissioners and also to ensure a greater geographic representation of the whole Commonwealth in the makeup of the board;

3. The executive director of the VPA should be appointed by and served at the pleasure of the Board of Commissioners, not the Governor.

In order to improve the security of VPA's facilities and the cargoes handled there:

4. The Criminal Justice Services Commission should permit the use of a training curriculum for port police which would be more closely tailored to their specialized tasks.

5. Several changes in the structure and operation of the VPA's police force should be made in order better to ensure the security of port facilities and cargoes handled there.

Legislation intended to implement recommendations 1 through 4 is attached (see Appendix C).