A. The Commission shall consist of nine members that include two legislative members, three nonlegislative citizen members, and four ex officio members. Members shall be appointed as follows: (i) one member of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; (ii) one member of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; and (iii) one nonlegislative citizen member who is a member of the extended family of Henrietta Lacks, one nonlegislative citizen member who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group, and one nonlegislative citizen member who is a member of the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority to be appointed by the Governor. The mayor of the Town of South Boston, the chair of the Board of Supervisors of Halifax County, the Executive Director of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, and the Executive Director of the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority, or their designees, shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Nonlegislative citizen members of the Commission shall be citizens of the Commonwealth.

B. Legislative members and ex officio members of the Commission shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be appointed for a term of two years. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Legislative members and nonlegislative citizen members may be reappointed. However, no nonlegislative citizen member shall serve more than four consecutive two-year terms. The remainder of any term to which a member is appointed to fill a vacancy shall not constitute a term in determining the member's eligibility for reappointment. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.

C. The Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership.

2018, cc. 477, 705.