(a) The State Board of Examiners for Speech Pathology and Audiology existing on June 30, 1987, is abolished and there is created beginning July 1, 1987, and continuing thereafter the State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology which shall succeed to all of that abolished board's powers, duties, and responsibilities which are not inconsistent with this chapter and which new board shall be composed of those members of the abolished board serving as such on June 30, 1987, which members shall serve out their respective terms of office and until their respective successors are appointed and qualified pursuant to this Code section. The board created by this Code section shall administer this chapter. The board shall consist of eight members who shall be appointed by the Governor and shall be confirmed by the Senate. Three of the members shall be licensed speech-language pathologists and three shall be licensed audiologists, all of whom shall have been engaged in rendering services to the public, teaching, or research in speech-language pathology or audiology for a period of at least three years immediately preceding their appointments. One member shall be a board certified otolaryngologist of this state. One member shall be a lay person representing the public. All members shall be residents of this state and shall have been residents of this state for at least one year prior to their appointments.

(b) Appointments by the Governor may be made from lists of names submitted by the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Georgia Organization for School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists, Georgia Academy of Audiology, and the Georgia Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery or other interested persons. Board members shall be appointed for a period of three years and until their respective successors are appointed and qualified. No member of the board may serve more than two consecutive full terms.

(c) Members of the board shall serve until the expiration of the terms for which they have been appointed and until their respective successors are appointed and qualified. When a vacancy upon the board occurs, the Governor shall appoint, pursuant to this Code section, a successor to fill the unexpired term.

(d) The Governor may remove any member of the board for dishonorable conduct, incompetency, or neglect of duty.

(e) No member of the board shall be liable to civil action for any act performed in good faith in performance of the member's duties as prescribed by law.