North Carolina § 120-99 - Creation; composition.

§ 120-99. Creation; composition.

The Legislative Ethics Committee is created and shall consist of 12 members, six Senators appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and six members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall appoint three members from a list of nominees submitted by the majority leader of the Senate and three members from a list of nominees submitted by the minority leader of the Senate. The Speaker of the House shall appoint three members from a list of nominees submitted by the majority leader of the House and three members from a list of nominees submitted by the minority leader of the House. The nominating majority or minority leader shall submit to the person making the appointment a list of twice the number of vacancies on the Committee that are to be filled from that leader's nominees. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House as the appointing officers shall each designate a cochair of the Legislative Ethics Committee from the respective officer's appointees to serve as cochair for the current General Assembly, and until the cochair's successor is designated. The cochair appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall preside over the Legislative Ethics Committee during the odd-numbered year, and the cochair appointed by the Speaker of the House shall preside in the even-numbered year. A cochair may preside at anytime during the absence of the presiding cochair or upon the presiding cochair's designation. In the event a cochair is unable to act as cochair on a specific matter before the Legislative Ethics Committee, and so indicates in writing to the appointing officer and the Legislative Ethics Committee, the respective officer shall designate from that officer's appointees a member to serve as cochair for that specific matter. Repealed by Session Laws 2006-201, s. 8, effective January 1, 2007. The appointments of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall ensure that the composition of the Legislative Ethics Committee is bipartisan in equal numbers. History (1975, c. 564, s. 1; 1985, c. 790, s. 6; 1991, c. 739, s. 15; 1995, c. 180, s. 1; 2004-199, s. 31(d); 2006-201, ss. 7, 8; 2009-10, s. 1.) Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2004-199, s. 31(d), effective August 17, 2004, added subsection designations to the previously undesignated paragraphs; and in subsection (b), inserted "as the appointing officers" preceding "shall each designate" and added the last two sentences. Session Laws 2006-201, ss. 7 and 8, effective January 1, 2007, in subsection (a), substituted "and shall consist of 12 members" for "to consist of ten members," substituted "six Senators" for "five Senators," substituted "three from a list of six" for "two from a list of four" four times, and substituted "six members of the House of Representatives" for "five members of the House of Representatives"; and deleted former subsection (c), which read: "The provisions of G.S. 120-19.1 through G.S. 120-19.8 shall apply to the proceedings of the Legislative Ethics Committee as if it were a joint committee of the General Assembly, except that both cochairs shall sign all subpoenas on behalf of the Committee." Session Laws 2009-10 s. 1, effective March 26, 2009, in subsection (a) substituted "and six members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House." for "among them - three from a list of six submitted by the Majority Leader and three from a list of six submitted by the Minority Leader, and six members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, among them - three from a list of six submitted by the Majority Leader and three from a list of six submitted by the Minority Leader." and added the last three sentences; in subsection (b) at the end of the first sentence inserted "to serve as cochair for the current General Assembly, and until the cochair's successor is designated"; at the beginning of the third sentence substituted "A" for "However, a"; and added subsection (d).