143-711. Board of directors.
(a) The General Assembly also approves the provisions in the Consent Decree concerning the governance of the Golden LEAF Foundation by 15 directors holding staggered, four-year terms, five directors to be appointed by the Governor of the State of North Carolina, one of whom shall be the Chair of the Rural Infrastructure Authority created in G.S. 143B-472.128, or the Chair's designee, five by the President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate, and five by the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives; and that the Governor shall appoint the first Chair among the Governor's appointees, and the directors shall elect their own Chair from among their number for subsequent terms. Members of the General Assembly shall not be appointed to serve on the board of directors while serving in the General Assembly.
(b) It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, in appointing directors to the Golden LEAF Foundation, shall, in their sole discretion, include among their appointments representatives of tobacco production, tobacco manufacturing, tobacco-related employment, health, and economic development interests, with each appointing authority selecting at least two directors from these interests. It is also the intent of the General Assembly that the appointing authorities, in appointing directors, shall appoint members that represent the geographic, gender, and racial diversity of the State.