1. a. There is hereby created a commission to be known as the “Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission” to consist of 13 members as follows: the Attorney General, or his designee; the Public Defender, or his designee; the Chief Justice, or a designee of the Chief Justice who may be a retired judge with experience in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court; the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, or his designee; the Chairman of the State Parole Board, or his designee; the President of the New Jersey County Prosecutors Association, or his designee; the President of the New Jersey Bar Association, or his designee; one public member appointed by the Senate President; one public member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; one public member appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader; and two public members appointed by the Governor, not more than one of whom shall be of the same political party. In selecting the public members, the Senate President, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the General Assembly, the Assembly Minority Leader and the Governor should seek to include persons who have experience, training, or academic background in victims’ rights advocacy, corrections, judicial administration or criminal law. The public members appointed by the Governor shall include one representative of a police organization.

Public members shall serve for a term of three years from their date of appointment and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Any vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled by appointment in the same manner as the original appointment. Vacancies resulting from causes other than by expiration of term shall be filled for the unexpired term only.

b. The commission shall organize as soon as possible after the appointment of its members. The Senate President and the Speaker of the General Assembly shall appoint one of the public members to serve as chair and the Minority Leader of the Senate and the Minority Leader of the Assembly shall appoint one of the public members to serve as vice-chair.

c. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes.

d. The Office of Legislative Services shall provide staffing for the work of the commission. At the request of the commission all State entities shall, as soon as practicable, provide the commission with any available information concerning sentencing. In addition, the commission shall be entitled to accept the assistance and services of such employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as may be made available to it and to employ such legal, stenographic, technical, and clerical assistance and incur such expenses as may be necessary in order to perform its duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes.

L.2009, c.81, s.1.