(A) The Executive Director of the Office of Regulatory Staff must be an attorney qualified to practice in all courts of this State with a minimum of eight years' practice experience and must be appointed pursuant to the procedure set forth in Section 58-3-530(1)(b).
(B) The review committee must nominate one candidate as qualified to serve as executive director for the Governor's consideration.
(1) A person must not be appointed to serve as Executive Director of the Office of Regulatory Staff unless the review committee nominates the person.
(2) If the Governor rejects a person nominated by the review committee for executive director, the review committee must nominate another candidate for the Governor to consider, until the Governor makes an appointment.
(C) The executive director must be appointed by the Governor for a term of six years and until his successor is appointed.
(D) The executive director must be initially appointed by the Governor on or before May 1, 2004. Thereafter, the executive director must be appointed by the Governor on or before April first of the year in which the term of the executive director begins.
(E) The initial term of office for the executive director begins July 1, 2004.
(F) The executive director may be removed from office by the Governor in the event of his incapacity to serve. In addition, the executive director may be removed for cause from office by the Governor pursuant to Section 1-3-240(C).
(G) In case of a vacancy in the office of executive director for any reason prior to the expiration of his term of office, the name of a nominee for the executive director's successor must be submitted by the review committee to the Governor.
(H) The executive director must take the oath of office provided by the Constitution and the oaths prescribed by law for state officers.
(I) The Office of Regulatory Staff shall be subject to annual review by the review committee; however, decisions of the Office of Regulatory Staff with respect to duties and responsibilities contained in Section 58-4-50 are in the sole discretion of the executive director, except as modified by order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(J) The salary of the executive director must be set by the review committee.
HISTORY: 2004 Act No. 175, Section 6, eff March 4, 2004.