(a) The state board shall be composed of the following 14 members:

(1) The Commissioner of the State Department of Human Resources, the State Mental Health Officer, the State Health Officer, the State Superintendent of Education, and the Secretary of the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency or designees authorized to speak on their behalf.

(2) Nine public members appointed by the Governor, one from each of the seven congressional districts into which the state is divided for the purpose of electing representatives in the United States Congress, and two from the state at large. As a group, the public members shall demonstrate knowledge in the area of child abuse and neglect prevention; shall be representative of the demographic composition of this state; and, to the extent practicable, shall be representative of all of the following categories: Organized labor, the business community, the religious community, the legal community, professional providers of child abuse and neglect prevention services, and volunteers in child abuse and neglect prevention services.

(b) The term of each public member shall be three years, except that of the public members first appointed, three shall serve for three years, three for two years, and three for one year. The Governor shall designate the term which each of the members first appointed shall serve when he or she makes such appointments. A public member shall not serve more than two consecutive terms whether partial or full. A vacancy shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.

(c) The Governor shall designate a chair of the state board from among the public members, which chair shall serve in that position at the pleasure of the Governor. The state board may elect other officers and committees as it considers appropriate.

(d) The actual and necessary per diem compensation and the schedule for reimbursement of expenses for the public members of the state board shall be the same as prescribed by law for state employees when traveling on state business. The compensation and reimbursement, the salaries of the director and staff, and all actual and necessary operating expenses of the department and the members of the state board shall be paid from the trust fund, pursuant to an authorization as provided in Section 26-16-9.