(a) There is hereby created the Board of Parole Hearings. Any reference to the Board of Prison Terms in this code or any other law refers to the Board of Parole Hearings. As of July 1, 2005, the Board of Prison Terms is abolished.

(b) (1) The Governor shall appoint 17 commissioners, subject to Senate confirmation, pursuant to this section. These commissioners shall be appointed and trained to hear only adult matters. Except as specified in paragraph (3), commissioners shall hold office for terms of three years, each term to commence on the expiration date of the predecessor. An appointment to a vacancy that occurs for any reason other than expiration of the term shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term. Commissioners are eligible for reappointment.

(2) The terms of the commissioners shall expire as follows:

(A) Five shall expire on July 1, 2020.

(B) Six shall expire on July 1, 2021.

(C) Six shall expire on July 1, 2022.

(3) The term for one of the commissioners whose position was created by the act that added this paragraph shall be for two years and shall begin on July 1, 2019. The term for the other commissioner whose position was created by the act that added this paragraph shall be for three years and shall begin on July 1, 2019.

(4) The selection of persons and their appointment by the Governor and confirmation by the Senate shall reflect as nearly as possible a cross section of the racial, sexual, economic, and geographic features of the population of the state.

(c) The chair of the board shall be designated by the Governor periodically. The Governor may appoint an executive officer of the board, subject to Senate confirmation, who shall hold office at the pleasure of the Governor. The executive officer shall be the administrative head of the board and shall exercise all duties and functions necessary to ensure that the responsibilities of the board are successfully discharged. The secretary shall be the appointing authority for all civil service positions of employment with the board.

(d) Each commissioner shall participate in hearings on each workday, except if it is necessary for a commissioner to attend training, en banc hearings or full board meetings, or other administrative business requiring the participation of the commissioner. For purposes of this subdivision, these hearings include parole consideration hearings and parole rescission hearings.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 25, Sec. 43. (SB 94) Effective June 27, 2019.)