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<section article="gsg" article_name="State Government" number="9-2411" title_number="9" title_name="Miscellaneous Executive Agencies" subtitle_number="24" subtitle_name="Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Board consists of 11 members appointed by the Governor.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Of the 11 members:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>one shall be a member of the Maryland Association of the Deaf;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>one shall be a deafblind individual;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>one shall be a deaf individual;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>three shall be interpreters for the deaf who hold a license under this part;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>one shall be an interpreter for the deaf who holds a license under this part and owns or is affiliated with an interpreter agency;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>two shall be affiliated with an entity that operates and implements deaf services in an educational, legal, or medical setting;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>the Secretary of Disabilities, or the Secretary’s designee, as an ex officio nonvoting member; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>the Secretary of Labor, or the Secretary’s designee, as an ex officio nonvoting member.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The Governor shall appoint the members from a list of names submitted from a nomination process established by the Office.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The nomination process shall include outreach to underrepresented deaf, deafblind, and interpreter communities.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>To the extent practicable, the members appointed under this section shall reflect the racial and geographic diversity of the State.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Each member shall:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>be a resident of the State; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>except for the ex officio nonvoting members and the members under subsection (a)(2)(vi) of this section, be proficient in American Sign Language.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>Before taking office, each member appointed to the Board shall take the oath or affirmation required by Article I, § 9 of the Maryland Constitution.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The term of a Board member is 2 years, beginning on the date of appointment.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>A member appointed after a term has begun serves only for the remainder of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>A member may not serve more than three consecutive full terms.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Governor may remove a member for incompetence, misconduct, neglect of duties, two or more successive unexcused absences, or other sufficient cause.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Governor shall remove a member who:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>ceases to meet the requirements under which the member was appointed under subsection (a) of this section; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>fails to attend at least 50% of the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board during any 12–month period.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
