9-12-1001. Wyoming tourism board; creation; composition; appointment; terms; compensation.

(a) There is created the Wyoming tourism board. The board shall serve as the leading proponent of Wyoming's tourism and hospitality industry and shall provide governance and oversight for the division of travel and tourism.

(b) The board shall be comprised of nine (9) members who shall be employed in or associated closely with the travel industry. The board shall be appointed by the governor, and approved with the advice and consent of the senate, in accordance with W.S. 28-12-101 through 28-12-103, as follows:

(i) One (1) member shall be from tourism appointment district 1, consisting of Albany, Carbon and Laramie counties;

(ii) One (1) member shall be from tourism appointment district 2, consisting of Converse, Goshen, Natrona, Niobrara and Platte counties;

(iii) One (1) member shall be from tourism appointment district 3, consisting of Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston counties;

(iv) One (1) member shall be from tourism appointment district 4, consisting of Lincoln, Sweetwater and Uinta counties;

(v) One (1) member shall be from tourism appointment district 5, consisting of Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park and Washakie counties;

(vi) One (1) member shall be from tourism appointment district 6, consisting of Fremont, Sublette and Teton counties;

(vii) Three (3) members shall be at-large members appointed to provide geographic and tourism industry balance.

(c) Each appointed member shall serve for three (3) years, except that the initial appointments of the members shall be:

(i) One (1) year for one (1) of the at-large members and the members appointed from tourism appointment district 2 and tourism appointment district 5;

(ii) Two (2) years for one (1) of the at-large members and the members appointed from tourism appointment district 1 and tourism appointment district 3; and

(iii) Three (3) years for one (1) of the at-large members and the members appointed from tourism appointment district 4 and tourism appointment district 6.

(d) No appointed member shall serve more than two (2) consecutive three (3) year terms.

(e) The board shall select a chairman and a vice-chairman from among its members.

(f) The governor may remove any member as provided by W.S. 9-1-202.

(g) Members of the board shall receive mileage and per diem for attending board meetings or other meetings as assigned by the board, in the same amount as state legislators and shall receive no other compensation for serving on the board.

(h) For purposes of this article, "board" means the Wyoming tourism board.