Establishing and marking boundary line between Jefferson County, West Virginia, and Loudoun County, Virginia; effect of certain rights and prosecutions; transmission to members of Congress; effective date

(a) The boundary line between Jefferson County, West Virginia, and Loudoun County, Virginia, is hereby, on the part of this state, established and declared to be the watershed line of the top of the ridge of the Blue Ridge mountains, as established by the survey approved by the commission on the twenty-ninth day of April, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, and to be recorded in the land books in the courthouses of Jefferson County, West Virginia, and Loudoun County, Virginia. (b) No vested right of any individual, partnership or corporation within the territory affected by this section may in any way be impaired, restricted or affected by this section. This section is not retrospective in its operation and it does not in any way affect the rights of any individual, partnership or corporation in any suit now pending in any of the courts of this state or of the United States wherein the cause of action arose over, or is in any way based upon, the territory affected. This section in no way precludes the State of West Virginia from prosecuting any individual, partnership or corporation for violation of any of the criminal laws of this state within the territory until this section goes into effect. (c) The Secretary of State shall furnish a certified copy of this section to the Governor of the commonwealth of Virginia and shall also furnish certified copies to the United States senators from the State of West Virginia and to the representative from the second congressional district of West Virginia in the House of Representatives, who are requested to have the section presented to the Congress of the United States. (d) The commission created by section two of this article is continued and is directed, in cooperation with the like commission created by the commonwealth of Virginia, or other agency designated by the commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose, to complete its work, including: (i) The recordation of the survey in the Jefferson County courthouse not later than April 1, one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight, which survey shall take into account KD Map 25A Parcel 0002 through which the watershed line runs and which includes such residence on the Virginia side of the boundary line; and (ii) the erection of permanent markers designating the boundary line set forth in this section. The markers shall be of the nature and kind the commission considers appropriate. (e) This section shall take effect upon the adoption and approval by the General Assembly of the commonwealth of Virginia of appropriate legislation ratifying the boundary line set forth herein.