34:15C-18 State Council for Adult Literacy Education Services.

2. a. There is created within the State Employment and Training Commission, established pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1989, c.293 (C.34:15C-2) in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, a State Council for Adult Literacy Education Services.

b. The 27-member council shall consist of the following ex officio members: the Commissioners of Labor and Workforce Development, Human Services, Education, Community Affairs and Corrections, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Commerce Commission, the Executive Director of the Commission on Higher Education, and the Executive Director of the State Employment and Training Commission. The council shall also include one member of the Senate appointed by the President thereof and one member of the General Assembly appointed by the Speaker thereof, who shall serve during the two-year legislative session in which the appointment is made and who shall not be of the same political party; and 17 public members as follows: five public members appointed by the Governor including a member of a Workforce Investment Board literacy committee, a State or national adult education expert and three representatives of the business community, at least one of whom shall represent a small business; six public members appointed by the President of the Senate including a student or former student who received adult literacy services and a representative from each of the following: a county college, a four-year institution of higher education, the State Library or a local library, a Department of Education-funded adult education provider of adult basic education programs, general educational development programs or English as a second language programs and a community-based organization which is an adult education provider; and six public members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly including a representative from each of the following: a vocational school providing adult academic education programs, a trade union, the New Jersey Network, the New Jersey Association of Lifelong Learning, the Literacy Volunteers of America and the New Jersey Education Association.

c. The public members shall serve for terms of three years, but of the public members first appointed, six shall serve a term of three years, six shall serve a term of two years and five shall serve a term of one year. Each member shall hold office for the term of appointment and until his successor is appointed and qualified. A member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring in the membership of the board for any reason other than the expiration of the term shall have a term of appointment for the unexpired term only. All vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A member may be appointed for any number of successive terms. A member may be removed from office by the Governor, for cause, after a hearing and may be suspended by the Governor pending the completion of the hearing.

d. The members shall select annually a chairperson and a vice-chairperson, who shall be nongovernmental members of the council, and shall appoint an executive director. The executive director shall report to the chairperson of the council and be responsible for administering the daily operations of the council. The executive director shall serve in the State unclassified service. The council may call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county or municipal department, board, bureau, commission or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.

e. Members of the council shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the council for its purposes. Actions may be taken and motions and resolutions may be adopted by the council by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members.

L.1999, c.107, s.2; amended 2005, c.354, s.18; 2007, c.253, s.21.