(a) A State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors is created whose duty it shall be to administer this chapter.

(b) The board shall consist of six professional engineers, two professional land surveyors, and a member appointed from the public at large who has no connection with the professions of engineering and land surveying, all of whom shall be appointed by the Governor for a term of five years. Of the professional engineers appointed to the board, one shall be a structural engineer, one shall be a mechanical engineer, one shall be an electrical engineer, two shall be civil or sanitary engineers, and one shall be from any discipline of engineering. Each member of the board shall be a citizen of the United States and a resident of this state.

(c) Each member shall hold office until his or her successor has been duly appointed and qualified. All successors shall be appointed in the same manner as the original appointment.

(d) A vacancy on the membership of the board shall be filled by appointment by the Governor, in the same manner as the original appointment to the position vacated, for the unexpired term.

(e) Professional engineers appointed to the board shall have been engaged in the practice of engineering in their respective disciplines for at least 12 years and shall have been in responsible charge of important engineering work in their respective disciplines for at least five years. Professional land surveyors appointed to the board shall have been engaged in the practice of land surveying for at least 12 years and shall have been in responsible charge of important land surveying work for at least five years. Responsible charge of engineering or land surveying teaching may be construed as responsible charge of important engineering or land surveying work, respectively.

(f) Each member of the board shall be reimbursed as provided for in subsection (f) of Code Section 43-1-2.

(g) The Governor may remove any member of the board for misconduct, incompetency, neglect of duty, or any other sufficient and just cause.