(a) (1) A member of a State board or commission shall be suspended without pay from participation in the activities of the board or commission if the member is convicted of or enters a plea of nolo contendere to any crime that:
(i) is a felony; or
(ii) is a misdemeanor related to the member’s public duties and responsibilities and involves moral turpitude for which the penalty may be incarceration in any penal institution.
(2) The suspension shall continue during any period of appeal of the conviction.
(3) If the conviction becomes final, the member shall be removed from the office and the office shall be deemed vacant.
(b) If the conviction of the member is reversed or otherwise vacated:
(1) the member shall be reinstated to the office for the remainder, if any, of the term of office during which the member was so suspended or removed; and
(2) all pay and benefits shall be restored from the date of the suspension or removal.