(a)

(1) There is created a licensing committee to advise and assist the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality in the administration of the licensing program.

(2) The licensing committee shall be composed of ten (10) voting members as follows:

(A) Three (3) members, to be appointed by the commission, shall be solid waste management facility operators licensed by the department;

(B) One (1) member, to be appointed by the commission, shall be an employee of a county operating a solid waste management facility who holds the position of solid waste management facility on-site operator or supervisor;

(C) One (1) member, to be appointed by the commission, shall be an employee of a municipality operating a sanitary landfill who holds the position of landfill on-site operator or supervisor;

(D) One (1) member, to be appointed by the commission, shall be a representative of one (1) of the duly constituted regional solid waste management boards;

(E) One (1) member, to be appointed by the commission, shall be an on-site operator or supervisor of a waste tire processing facility;

(F) One (1) member, to be appointed by the commission, shall be an on-site operator or supervisor of a nonsegregated materials recovery, transfer, or composting facility;

(G) One (1) member, to be appointed by the commission shall be a faculty member of or other qualified person associated with an accredited college, university, or professional school in this state whose major field is related to environmental education; and

(H) One (1) member, to be appointed by the Director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, shall be a qualified member of his or her staff who shall serve ex officio with no vote as executive secretary of the licensing committee.

(b)

(1) In the event of a vacancy, a new member shall be appointed by the commission to serve out the unexpired term.

(2)

(A) As of August 12, 2006, no nonstate agency member shall serve more than two (2) consecutive three-year terms.

(B) Those members serving unexpired five-year terms may serve an additional one (1) consecutive three-year term.

(c) The committee shall select a member to serve as chair each year and shall meet as necessary to carry out its duties under this subchapter and at the call of the chair.

(d) State agency members of the licensing committee shall receive no additional salary or per diem for their services as members of the committee, but they shall be allowed their travel and maintenance expenses while attending meetings away from Little Rock.

(e) No member of the committee shall participate in any licensing decision involving the firm or organization by which that member is employed or in which that member has a direct or indirect financial interest.