4. a. The board shall consist of eleven members, two of whom shall be public members and one of whom shall be a State executive department member appointed pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1971, c.60 (C. 45:1-2.1 et seq.). Each of the remaining eight members shall be pharmacists. Each pharmacist member shall have at least five years of experience in the practice of pharmacy in this State after licensure, and shall at the time of appointment and throughout their tenure: be currently licensed and in good standing to engage in the practice of pharmacy in this State, and be actively engaged in the practice of pharmacy in this State.

b. The Governor shall appoint the members of the board. Every State professional pharmacy association may send to the Governor the names of pharmacists having the qualifications required by this section, whom the Governor may appoint to fill any vacancy occurring in the board. In appointing members to the board to fill vacancies of members who engage in the practice of pharmacy, the Governor shall appoint members so that the membership of the board includes, at all times, at least one pharmacist employed by a chain drug retailer who owns or operates seven or more pharmacy practice sites, one pharmacist who is employed by a health care system and one pharmacist who owns a pharmacy practice site in this State.

c. Except for the members first appointed, members of the board shall be appointed for a term of five years, except that members of the board who are appointed to fill vacancies which occur prior to the expiration of a former member’s full term shall serve the unexpired portion of that term. The terms of the members of the board shall be staggered, so that the terms of no more than three members shall expire in any year. Each member shall serve until a successor is appointed and qualified. The present members of the board appointed pursuant to R.S.45:14-1 et seq. shall serve the balance of their terms. Any present board member appointed initially for a term of less than five years shall be eligible to serve for two additional full terms. No member of the board shall serve more than two consecutive full terms. The completion of the unexpired portion of a full term shall not constitute a full term for purposes of this subsection.

d. The Governor may remove a member of the board after a hearing for misconduct, incompetency, neglect of duty or for any other sufficient cause.

L.2003,c.280,s.4.