(a)    The Board shall be composed of 12 individuals appointed by the Governor, who shall designate the chair, including:

(1)    five representatives of the deaf or hard of hearing community;

(2)    one representative of the mobility–impaired community who requires the use of specialized customer telephone equipment;

(3)    one representative of the speech–impaired community who requires the use of specialized customer telephone equipment;

(4)    one representative of the senior citizen community who requires the use of specialized customer telephone equipment;

(5)    one representative of the deaf–blind community; and

(6)    three representatives of government, one of whom is a representative of the Public Service Commission.

(b)    (1)    The term of a member is 3 years.

(2)    The terms of members are staggered as required by the terms provided for members of the Board on June 30, 2008.

(3)    At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

(4)    A member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the rest of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

(5)    The Governor may remove a member for incompetence or misconduct.

(c)    The members of the Board shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

(d)    By January 1 of each year, the Board shall file an annual report on its activities to the General Assembly in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article.

(e)    The Board shall advise the Department with regard to the program’s:

(1)    level of access to program participants; and

(2)    quality of service.