52:9M-1 State Commission of Investigation.

1. There is hereby created a permanent State Commission of Investigation. The commission shall consist of four members, to be known as commissioners.

Two members of the commission shall be appointed by the Governor. One each shall be appointed by the President of the Senate and by the Speaker of the General Assembly. Each member shall serve for a term of four years and until the appointment and qualification of his successor. No person shall serve, in succession, more than two four-year terms and any portion of an unexpired term as a member of the commission. The Governor shall designate one of the members to serve as chairman of the commission.

The members of the commission appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly and at least one of the members appointed by the Governor shall be attorneys admitted to the bar of this State. No member or employee of the commission shall hold any other public office or public employment. No member of the commission shall have held any elective office or have been a candidate for any elective office within the one year preceding his appointment to the commission. No member of the commisson shall hold any elective office or be a candidate for any elective office within the one year subsequent to his termination of service as a member of the commission.Not more than two of the members shall belong to the same political party.

Each member of the commission shall receive an annual salary of $35,000. Each member shall also be entitled to reimbursement for his expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of his duties, including expenses of travel outside of the State.

Vacancies on the commission shall be filled for the unexpired terms in the same manner as original appointments. Vacancies on the commission shall be filled by the appropriate appointing authority within 120 days. If the appropriate appointing authority does not fill a vacancy within that time period, the vacancy shall be filled by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court within 60 days. A vacancy on the commission shall not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all the powers of the commission.

Any determination made by the commission shall be by majority vote. "Majority vote" means the affirmative vote of at least three members of the commission if there are no vacancies on the commission or the affirmative vote of at least two members of the commission if there is a vacancy.

L.1968,c.266,s.1; amended 1970, c.263; 1979, c.254, s.1; 1984, c.110, s.1; 1985, c.119; 1999, c.380, s.4; 2001, c.369, s.1; 2005, c.58, s.1.