(1) There is hereby created in the state department the Colorado commission on the aging, referred to in this article as the "commission", which shall consist of seventeen members appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate. Two members shall be appointed from each congressional district of the state, one of whom shall be from each major political party, and, after July 1, 1976, and thereafter when a vacancy occurs, one of such members shall be from west of the continental divide. A vacancy on the commission occurs whenever any member moves out of the congressional district from which he or she was appointed. Any member who moves out of such congressional district shall promptly notify the governor of the date of such move, but such notice is not a condition precedent to the occurrence of the vacancy. The governor shall fill the vacancy as provided in subsection (2) of this section. Appointments made to take effect on January 1, 1983, shall be made in accordance with section 24-1-135, C.R.S. No more than nine members of the commission shall be members of the same major political party. One member shall be appointed from the state at large, one member shall be appointed from among the membership of the senate, and one member shall be appointed from among the membership of the house of representatives. Appointments to the commission shall comply with the requirements of the rules and regulations of the United States department of health and human services promulgated pursuant to Public Law 93-29, known as the "Older Americans Comprehensive Services Amendments of 1973", as such rules and regulations appear in section 903.50 (c) of title 45 of the code of federal regulations. In making appointments to the commission, the governor is encouraged to include representation by at least one member who is a person with a disability, a family member of a person with a disability, or a member of an advocacy group for persons with disabilities, provided that the other requirements of this subsection (1) are met.

(2) All members of the commission shall be appointed for terms of four years each, commencing July 1 in the year of appointment. Appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired term of the vacated office and shall be made in the same manner as original appointments. Whenever a member of the senate or house of representatives serving as a member of the commission ceases to hold his office in the senate or house of representatives, a vacancy on the commission shall occur, and the governor shall fill the vacancy by the appointment of a similarly qualified person who at the time is holding office, as the case may be, in the senate or house of representatives.