ARTICLE II – Membership

Section 1.  Appointment; Term. The Commission’s membership of up to 30 Members is established by the Executive Order. A Member shall continue to serve until the termination of the Commission, or until such time as the Governor appoints a successor for the Member.

A. Members of the Commission shall consist of the following:

1. The Secretary of Budget and Management, or the Secretary’ s designee;
2. The Secretary of Commerce, or the Secretary’s designee;
3. The Secretary of Natural Resources, or the Secretary’s designee;
4. The Secretary of Planning, or the Secretary’s designee;
5. The Maryland Secretary of State, or the Secretary’s designee;
6. The Secretary of General Services, or the Secretary’s designee;
7. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or the Secretary’s designee;
8. The Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, or the Director’s designee; and
9. Up to six (6) members of the general public with related or relevant background, expertise, or interest, appointed by the Governor.

B. The following are invited to be, and shall be upon acceptance, members of the Commission:

1. Two (2) members appointed by the President of the Maryland Senate;
2. Two (2) members appointed by the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates;
3. The State Superintendent of Schools, or the Superintendent’s designee;
4. The State Archivist, or the Archivist’s designee;
5. The State Historic Preservation Officer, or the Officer’s designee;
6. The Chair of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, or the Chair’s designee;
7. The Chair of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, or the Chair’s designee;
8. The Chair of the Maryland Commission for Women, or the Chair’s designee;
9. The Executive Director of the Maryland Association of Counties, or the Director’s designee;
10. The Executive Director of the Maryland Municipal League, or the Director’s designee;
11. A representative of the Judiciary, appointed by the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland; and
12. Up to three (3) members from the nonprofit community, selected from the Maryland Center for History and Culture, the Maryland Humanities Council, Preservation Maryland, or other similar

Section. 2   Non-Voting Members. If the Members appointed by President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates concurrently serve in the Senate or the House, and on the Commission, those Members shall then serve as non-voting members on the Commission (the “Non-Voting Members”).

Section 3.   Vacancies. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the Commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.

Section 4.   Chair. The Governor shall appoint a Chair from among the Members of the Commission.

Section 5.  Vice Chair. At the Commission’s first meeting during each fiscal year, the Members shall elect one of the Members to serve as Vice Chair of the Commission, to serve concurrently with the term of the Chair.

Section 6.  Attendance; Removal. If a Member fails to attend at least 50 percent of the meetings of the Commission during any twelve (12) consecutive months, the Member shall be considered to have resigned and the Chair shall so notify the Member, the Commission and the organization the Member represents at or before the next succeeding regular meeting following such nonattendance. If the Member has been unable to attend the required number of meetings, the Member may request that the Chair waive the Member’s resignation for reasons made public and deemed satisfactory by the Chair. The Governor may remove a Member, other than an ex officio Member, for incompetence, misconduct, or failure to perform the Member’s duties. The Commission may recommend to the Governor the removal of a Member for any of these reasons.

Section 7. Duties of Commission; Staff. The duties of the Commission are established in Sections V and VI of the Executive Order. The Maryland Department of Planning and Governor’s Coordinating Offices shall provide the Commission with resources and staff as feasible and necessary for administering and facilitating the work of the Commission.

Section 8. Conflict of Interest. Members of the Commission shall comply with the Maryland Public Ethics Law contained in Title 5, General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.