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<section article="gsg" article_name="State Government" number="2-710" title_number="2" title_name="General Assembly" subtitle_number="7" subtitle_name="Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this section, “Board” means the Citizens’ Advisory Board for Legislative Ethics established under subsection (b) of this section.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>There is a Citizens’ Advisory Board for Legislative Ethics.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Board consists of the following members:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a member of the public who shall serve as the chair, appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>two members of the public, appointed by the President of the Senate; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>two members of the public, appointed by the Speaker of the House.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>A member of the Board:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>shall be a resident of the State;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>may not be a State or local elected official; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>may not be a regulated lobbyist.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>No more than two members of the Board at any one time may be former members of the General Assembly.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The members of the Board shall be chosen so that each political party is represented in approximately the same proportion as the party is represented in the General Assembly.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>In appointing members of the Board, the presiding officers shall seek individuals with a knowledge of or background in public ethics.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The term of a member of the Board is 2 years and begins on January 1 of each even–numbered year.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>A member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the rest of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>With the consent of the Legislative Policy Committee, the President and Speaker may remove a member for incompetence or misconduct.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The Board shall regularly offer recommendations to the Committee and the presiding officers regarding changes to the Public Ethics Law, the policies and procedures of the Committee, and public advisory opinions of the Committee.</text>
  </level>
</section>
