Section 5A. There shall be within the department a housing appeals committee, consisting of three members to be appointed by the director, of whom one shall be an officer or employee of the department, and two members to be appointed by the governor for terms of one year each, of whom one shall be a member of a board of selectmen and one a member of a city council or similar governing body of a city. The members shall serve for terms of one year each, and the director shall designate the chairman. A member of the committee shall receive no compensation for his services, but shall be reimbursed by the commonwealth for all reasonable expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of his official duties. Said committee shall hear all petitions for review filed under section twenty-two of chapter forty B, and shall conduct said hearings in accordance with rules and regulations established by the director.
The department shall provide such space and clerical and other assistance as the committee may require.