There shall be a committee on news media access to executions composed of news media representatives appointed by the Associated Press Managing Editors Association of Connecticut and the Connecticut Associated Press Broadcasters Association. The Commissioner of Correction or his designee shall be an ex-officio member of the committee. The committee shall receive applications from news media seeking to witness and report executions and select news media witnesses from such applicants. The committee shall consider applications from three categories of news media: (1) Newspapers, broadcasters and news services regularly reporting general news of the state; (2) newspapers and broadcasters nearest the locality where the crime was committed; and (3) newspapers and broadcasters that regularly cover the correctional institutions deemed appropriate by the commissioner as a location for the infliction of the death penalty. The committee shall select applicants from each category unless a category lacks a qualified applicant. The committee shall promptly inform the commissioner of its recommendations and inform the news media recommended to be witnesses. For any execution, the commissioner shall specify the number of news media witnesses that space and security requirements permit. The commissioner shall promptly inform the committee if any applicant it has recommended to be a witness is to be excluded for specified reasons of security.