143B-216.85. (Effective January 1, 2021) Appointment; term of office; and removal of the Director of the Division of Health Benefits.

(a) Term. - The Director of the Division of Health Benefits shall be appointed by the Governor for a term of four years subject to confirmation by the General Assembly by joint resolution. The initial term of office for the Director of the Division of Health Benefits shall begin upon confirmation by the General Assembly and shall expire June 30, 2025. Thereafter, the term of office for the Director of the Division of Health Benefits shall be four years and shall commence on July 1 of the year in which the term for which the appointment is made.

(b) Appointment. - The Governor shall submit the name of the person to be appointed Director of the Division of Health Benefits to the General Assembly for confirmation by the General Assembly on or before May 1 of the year in which the term of the office for which the appointment is to be made expires. If the Governor fails to submit a name by May 1, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives jointly shall submit a name of an appointee to the General Assembly on or before May 15 of the same year. The appointment shall then be made by enactment of a bill. The bill shall state the name of the person being appointed, the office to which the appointment is being made, the effective date of the appointment, the date of expiration of the term, the residence of the appointee, and that the appointment is made upon the joint recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Nothing precludes any member of the General Assembly from proposing an amendment to any bill making such an appointment. If there is no vacancy in the office of the Director, and a bill that would confirm the appointment of the person as Director fails a reading in either chamber of the General Assembly, then the Governor shall submit a new name within 30 days.

(c) Vacancy. - If a vacancy in the office of the Director occurs for any reason prior to the expiration of the Director's term of office, the Governor shall submit the name of the Director's successor to the General Assembly not later than 60 days after the vacancy occurs. If a vacancy occurs when the General Assembly is not in session, the Governor shall appoint an acting Director to serve the remainder of the unexpired term pending confirmation by the General Assembly. However, in no event shall an acting Director serve (i) for more than 12 months without General Assembly confirmation or (ii) after a bill that would confirm the appointment of the person as Director fails a reading in either chamber of the General Assembly. The successor appointed to fill the vacancy shall serve until the end of the unexpired term.

(d) Removal. - The Director of the Division of Health Benefits may be removed from office only by the Governor and solely for the grounds set forth in G.S. 143B-13(b), (c), and (d).