(a) There is in the department an Appeals Division consisting of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and its employees. The appeals board consists of five members. Three members shall be appointed by the Governor, subject to the approval of the Senate. One member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, and one member shall be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. All of the members of the appeals board shall be attorneys at law admitted to practice in any state of the United States, and shall have, at a minimum, one year of experience in conducting judicial or administrative hearings or five years of experience in the practice of law. Each member of the board shall devote his or her full time to the performance of his or her duties. The chairperson and each member of the board shall receive the annual salary provided for by Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 11550) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The Governor shall designate the chairperson of the appeals board from the membership of the appeals board. The person so designated shall hold the office of chairperson at the pleasure of the Governor. The chairperson shall designate a member of the appeals board to act as chairperson in his or her absence.
(b) The amendments made to this section by the act adding this subdivision shall apply to appointments made on or after January 1, 2013.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the two California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board member positions that are eliminated pursuant to this act be those board member positions that could have been appointed by the Governor, but were not, and that are currently vacant and have been vacant since October 2011.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 46, Sec. 136. (SB 1038) Effective June 27, 2012.)