Requiring county economic development committee members be state residents.

HB 5545 requires that at least half of all members serving on county or municipal economic development authorities must be West Virginia residents with at least six months of continuous residency immediately before appointment. It also mandates that these members must reside in the specific county or municipality where the development authority operates. The bill amends existing law to enforce these residency requirements for all new appointments to such boards. This directly affects county economic development committees and municipal development authorities by changing membership eligibility criteria. The law applies to all members appointed to these bodies, not just new appointees.