2. a. The New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education is created and established in the Executive Branch of the State Government. For the purposes of complying with the provisions of Article V, Section IV, paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, the commission is allocated within the Department of Education, but notwithstanding this allocation, the commission shall be independent of any supervision or control by the department or any board or officer thereof.

The commission shall consist of 25 members, including the Commissioner of Education and the chair of the executive board of the Presidents’ Council, serving ex officio, and 23 public members. Public members shall be appointed as follows: three public members shall be appointed by the President of the Senate; three public members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; and 17 public members shall be appointed by the Governor, no less than six of whom shall at the time of their appointment be members of the New Jersey Advisory Council on Holocaust Education, created pursuant to Executive Order No. 17 of 1982 and continued pursuant to Executive Order No. 87 of 1984, Executive Order No. 168 of 1987 and Executive Order No. 225 of 1990, and further continued pursuant to Executive Order No. 14 of 1990. The public members shall be residents of this State, chosen with due regard to broad geographic representation and ethnic diversity, who have served prominently as spokespersons for, or as leaders of organizations which serve members of religious, ethnic, national heritage or social groups which were subjected to genocide, torture, wrongful deprivation of liberty or property, officially imposed or sanctioned violence, and other forms of human rights violations and persecution at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators during the Nazi era, or they shall be residents who are experienced in the field of Holocaust education.

b. Each public member of the commission shall serve for a term of three years, except that of the initial members so appointed: one member appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and four members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of one year; one member appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and four members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of two years; and one member appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and five members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of three years. Public members shall be eligible for reappointment. They shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified, and the term of the successor of any incumbent shall be calculated from the expiration of the term of that incumbent. A vacancy occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment but for the unexpired term only.

c. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but they shall be entitled to reimbursement for all necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. d. The commission shall annually elect a chairman from among its members. It shall meet upon the call of the chairman or of a majority of the commission members. The presence of a majority of the authorized membership of the commission shall be required for the conduct of official business.

e. The commission shall appoint an executive director, who shall serve at its pleasure and shall be a person qualified by training and experience to perform the duties of the office.

L.1991,c.193,s.2; amended 1994, c.48, s.45; 2003, c.288.