(a) There is established a legislative intern committee and an academic intern committee to be known collectively as the sponsoring committee.

(b) The legislative intern committee will consist of the following members:

(1) The speaker of the senate, the senate minority leader and two (2) senators to be appointed by the speaker of the senate, one (1) from the minority party and one (1) from the majority party;

(2) The speaker of the house of representatives, the minority leader of the house of representatives and two (2) representatives to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, one (1) from the minority party and one (1) from the majority party; and

(3) The director of legislative services, or the director's designee, who shall be the program administrator.

(c) The legislative intern committee shall select from among the official representatives of cooperating colleges and universities, as defined in § 49-50-602, five (5) members to serve as an academic intern committee. Members of the academic intern committee shall serve for one (1) year and shall be eligible for reappointment. Any vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the legislative intern committee of an official representative for the remainder of the term. In selecting members of the academic intern committee, the legislative intern committee shall make every effort to assure minority group participation on the academic intern committee. An academic intern committee chair shall be selected from among the members.

(d) Members of the legislative intern committee shall serve without compensation, except for the mileage and per diem allowance that is provided by the general assembly. Compensation for members of the academic intern committee shall be provided by the various participating colleges and universities in accordance with their established policies and procedures.

(e) The sponsoring committee, the legislative committee and the academic committee shall meet at such times as necessary, upon the call of the chairs of the respective committees. The sponsoring committee shall hold at least two (2) regular meetings in each calendar year. One (1) meeting shall be held prior to September 1 for the purpose of making plans for the program for the next ensuing legislative session, reviewing policies and making changes that seem advisable to govern the program for the session, and transacting other business as necessary. The second meeting shall be held within the first three (3) days of the organizational session in odd-numbered years and within the first three (3) days of the regular session in even-numbered years for the purpose of making work assignments of interns.