(a) There is hereby established the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council, which shall consist of twelve (12) members.

(b) The members shall be as follows:

(1) (A) There shall be three (3) members of the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council appointed by the Governor to serve for terms of four (4) years:

(i) One (1) member shall be appointed to represent the transit operators and shall be directly involved with the management of a public transit system;

(ii) One (1) member shall be appointed to represent the consumers of public transportation services; and

(iii) One (1) member shall be appointed as a member at large.

(B) In the event of a vacancy on the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council of one (1) of the gubernatorial positions due to death, resignation, or other reason, the vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by appointment of the Governor of a person meeting the same qualifications as are required for the initial appointment;

(2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall each appoint one (1) person to serve at their pleasure who is not a member of the General Assembly;

(3) The remaining seven (7) members of the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council shall be:

(A) The Director of the Department of Human Services or his or her designee;

(B) The Director of State Highways and Transportation or his or her designee;

(C) The Director of the Department of Health or his or her designee;

(D) The Chair of the Arkansas Economic Development Council or his or her designee;

(E) The Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission or his or her designee;

(F) The Director of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service or his or her designee; and

(G) The Chair of the Arkansas Workforce Development Board or his or her successor or designee.

(c) The Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council shall elect by majority vote one (1) of its members to serve as chair and one (1) of its members to serve as vice chair for such terms as are determined by the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council.

(d) The Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council shall have the power to prescribe and issue, pursuant to the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act, § 25-15-201 et seq., such reasonable rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.

(e) The Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council shall meet at the call of the Chair of the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council.

(f) Seven (7) members of the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council constitute a quorum, and a majority vote of the members present is necessary for any action taken by the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council.

(g) The members of the Arkansas Public Transportation Coordination Council shall serve without compensation provided that in the event that funds shall be available for such purposes, the members may receive expense reimbursement as provided in § 25-16-901 et seq.