There is created a Committee for Legislative Staff Internships which shall consist of six representatives appointed at the time of appointment of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly by the speaker of the House of Representatives, and six senators appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate to serve for the terms for which they were elected. Not more than one-half of the members of said committee from each house shall be members of the same political party. Members of said committee shall receive no compensation for their services as such but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses in performance of their duties. There shall be two cochairpersons, one of whom shall be a member of the Senate and one of whom shall be a member of the House of Representatives, each appointed by the applicable appointing authority, provided the cochairpersons shall not be members of the same political party and shall be from alternate parties in the respective houses in each successive term. For purposes of this section, “appointing authority” means the speaker or minority leader of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore or minority leader of the Senate, as appropriate according to the respective house and party of the member to be appointed.