(a) The Arkansas Catfish Promotion Board is created. The board shall be composed of seven (7) members appointed by the Governor as follows:
(1)
(A) The Catfish Farmers of Arkansas, Inc., shall submit to the Governor the names of six (6) persons who are members of the catfish industry. The list of nominees shall include commercial catfish producers, processors, and feed dealers identified as such. The Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation shall submit to the Governor the names of six (6) persons who are commercial catfish producers. All members shall be residents of Arkansas.
(B) The Governor shall appoint four (4) members from the list submitted by the Catfish Farmers of Arkansas, Inc., and three (3) members from the list submitted by the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation to serve on the board.
(2) Each year, not less than thirty (30) calendar days before the expiration of the terms of the current members of the board whose terms expire, the organizations named in subdivision (a)(1)(A) of this section shall submit to the Governor the names of two (2) nominees for each position to be filled on the board from the respective organizations, subject to the foregoing qualifications, and the Governor shall appoint the new members from each list of nominees. If no lists are submitted, the appointments shall be at the discretion of the Governor.
(3)
(A) Each member selected shall serve for a term of two (2) years and until his or her successor is selected as provided in this section.
(B) However, the initial members of the board shall be appointed for terms that will result in three (3) members' terms expiring after one (1) year and four (4) members' terms expiring after two (2) years.
(4) A midterm vacancy on the board shall be filled by appointment by the Governor from a list submitted within thirty (30) calendar days from the organization making the nomination for the position being vacated.
(5) A member of the board may be removed by a majority vote of the remaining board members for conviction of a felony, for not attending three (3) consecutive meetings, or if the member no longer meets the qualifications for his or her initial appointment.
(b) The President of the Catfish Farmers of Arkansas, Inc., shall call an organizational meeting of the board and shall preside until officers are elected. Members of the board shall organize immediately after their appointment and shall elect a chair, a vice chair, and a secretary-treasurer from the membership of the board, whose duties shall be those customarily exercised by those officers or specifically designated by the board. The board may appoint an executive director, who shall be the chief operating officer of the board and whose duties shall be designated by the board.
(c) The board may provide a salary for the executive director and for other necessary employees from funds derived from the assessments imposed in this chapter. Members of the board shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses.
(d) The principal office of the board shall be located in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.
(e) The resident agents of the board shall be the executive director of the board and the chair of the board, or either of them.