143B-1100. Governor's Crime Commission - creation; composition; terms; meetings, etc.

(a) There is hereby created the Governor's Crime Commission of the Department of Public Safety. The Commission shall consist of 37 voting members and five nonvoting members. The composition of the Commission shall be as follows:

(1) The voting members shall be:

a. The Governor, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina (or the Chief Justice's designee), the Attorney General, the Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Public Safety (or the Secretary's designee), and the Superintendent of Public Instruction;

b. A judge of superior court, a judge of district court specializing in juvenile matters, a chief district court judge, a clerk of superior court, and a district attorney;

c. A defense attorney, three sheriffs (one of whom shall be from a "high crime area"), three police executives (one of whom shall be from a "high crime area"), eight citizens (two with knowledge of juvenile delinquency and the public school system, two of whom shall be under the age of 21 at the time of their appointment, one advocate for victims of all crimes, one representative from a domestic violence or sexual assault program, one representative of a "private juvenile delinquency program," and one in the discretion of the Governor), three county commissioners or county officials, and three mayors or municipal officials;

d. Four public members.

(2) The nonvoting members shall be the Director of the State Bureau of Investigation, the Deputy Chief of the Juvenile Justice Section of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety who is responsible for Intervention/Prevention programs, the Deputy Chief of the Juvenile Justice Section of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety who is responsible for Youth Development programs, the Section Chief of the Section of Prisons of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice and the Section Chief of the Section of Community Corrections of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice.

(b) The membership of the Commission shall be selected as follows:

(1) The following members shall serve by virtue of their office: the Governor, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Public Safety, the Director of the State Bureau of Investigation, the Section Chief of the Section of Prisons of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, the Section Chief of the Section of Community Corrections of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, the Deputy Chief who is responsible for Intervention/Prevention of the Juvenile Justice Section of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety, the Deputy Chief who is responsible for Youth Development of the Juvenile Justice Section of the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Should the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court choose not to serve, his alternate shall be selected by the Governor from a list submitted by the Chief Justice which list must contain no less than three nominees from the membership of the Supreme Court.

(2) The following members shall be appointed by the Governor: the district attorney, the defense attorney, the three sheriffs, the three police executives, the eight citizens, the three county commissioners or county officials, the three mayors or municipal officials.

(3) The following members shall be appointed by the Governor from a list submitted by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, which list shall contain no less than three nominees for each position and which list must be submitted within 30 days after the occurrence of any vacancy in the judicial membership: the judge of superior court, the clerk of superior court, the judge of district court specializing in juvenile matters, and the chief district court judge.

(4) Two public members provided by sub-subdivision (a)(1)d. of this section shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and two public members provided by sub-subdivision (a)(1)d. of this section shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

(5) The Governor may serve as chairman, designating a vice-chairman to serve at his pleasure, or he may designate a chairman and vice-chairman both of whom shall serve at his pleasure.

(c) The initial members of the Commission shall be those appointed under subsection (b) above, which appointments shall be made by March 1, 1977. The terms of the present members of the Governor's Commission on Law and Order shall expire on February 28, 1977. Effective March 1, 1977, the Governor shall appoint members, other than those serving by virtue of their office, to serve staggered terms; seven shall be appointed for one-year terms, seven for two-year terms, and seven for three-year terms. At the end of their respective terms of office their successors shall be appointed for terms of three years and until their successors are appointed and qualified. The public members appointed pursuant to subdivision (4) of subsection (b) of this section shall serve two-year terms effective March 1, of each odd-numbered year. Any Commission member no longer serving in the office from which the member qualified for appointment shall be disqualified from serving on the Commission. Any appointment to fill a vacancy on the Commission created by the resignation, dismissal, death, disability, or disqualification of a member shall be for the balance of the unexpired term.

(d) The Governor shall have the power to remove any member from the Commission for misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance.

(e) The Commission shall meet quarterly and at other times at the call of the chairman or upon written request of at least eight of the members. A majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

(f) The Commission shall be treated as a board for purposes of Articles 5, 6, 7, and 9 of Chapter 163A of the General Statutes.