(a) Composition.--The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is continued as an independent administrative commission and shall consist of ten competent citizens of this Commonwealth who shall be appointed by the Governor by and with the advice and consent of a majority of the members elected to the Senate.

(b) Qualifications.--Two members of the commission shall serve at-large and be experienced in boating and water safety education and be a registered boat owner in Pennsylvania. The two boatmen members shall represent the various geographical sections and boating interests of this Commonwealth. The remaining eight members shall be persons well informed on the subject of conservation, restoration, fish and fishing and boats and boating and shall be appointed, insofar as practicable, on a bipartisan basis and from the various geographic districts of this Commonwealth so that at all times one and only one member shall be a resident of each of the following districts:

(1) First district, consisting of the counties of Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, Venango, Butler, Warren, Forest and Clarion.

(2) Second district, consisting of the counties of Beaver, Allegheny, Washington, Greene, Armstrong, Indiana, Westmoreland and Fayette.

(3) Third district, consisting of the counties of McKean, Elk, Jefferson, Potter, Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton and Centre.

(4) Fourth district, consisting of the counties of Cambria, Somerset, Blair, Bedford, Huntingdon, Fulton, Mifflin and Juniata.

(5) Fifth district, consisting of the counties of Tioga, Lycoming, Union, Snyder, Bradford, Sullivan, Columbia, Montour and Northumberland.

(6) Sixth district, consisting of the counties of Franklin, Perry, Cumberland, Adams, Dauphin, York, Lebanon and Lancaster.

(7) Seventh district, consisting of the counties of Susquehanna, Wyoming, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Carbon, Wayne, Pike and Monroe.

(8) Eighth district, consisting of the counties of Schuylkill, Berks, Chester, Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Delaware.

(c) Terms of office and compensation.--The members shall hold office for terms of four years each and may continue to hold office for a period of time not to exceed six months or until a successor is appointed and qualified, whichever occurs first. A member who serves three consecutive terms shall not be eligible for reappointment to the commission. The members shall receive no compensation for their services but may be reimbursed for travel expenses. When performing any function on behalf of the commission or acting within the scope of their official duties, members of the commission shall be authorized to operate Commonwealth vehicles and watercraft and shall be treated as employees of the Commonwealth for the purposes of automotive and general liability and the act of June 2, 1915 (P.L.736, No.338), known as the Workers' Compensation Act.

(d) Vacancies.--Upon the death, resignation or removal from office of any member, the Governor shall appoint a competent person to serve for the unexpired term.

(e) Meetings, officers and quorum.--The commission shall have an office in the Harrisburg area and shall hold meetings in the Harrisburg area in January and July and at such other times and places within this Commonwealth as the commission shall designate for the transaction of business. At the meeting held in July of each year, the commission shall elect one of its members as president and one of its members as vice president who shall hold office for one year. Six members shall constitute a quorum.

(f) Powers of waterways patrolmen.--Except for the power conferred by section 925 (relating to acknowledgment of guilt and receipts for payment), members of the commission may exercise any of the powers conferred by this title on waterways patrolmen.

(Feb. 24, 1984, P.L.90, No.16, eff. 60 days; Dec. 12, 1991, P.L.368, No.39, eff. imd.; Dec. 19, 1996, P.L.1454, No.185, eff. 60 days; Jan. 29, 1998, P.L.31, No.7, eff. imd.; June 28, 2011, P.L.77, No.16, eff. imd.; Nov. 1, 2012, P.L.1716, No.211, eff. 60 days; Mar. 19, 2014, P.L.364, No.24, eff. 60 days)

2014 Amendment. Act 24 amended subsecs. (a) and (c). Section 2 of Act 24 provided that the amendment shall apply to members of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission who are appointed on or after the effective date of Act 24.

2002 Partial Repeal. Section 4 of Act 231 of 2002 provided that section 301 is repealed insofar as it relates to the consent required by the Senate to appointments by the Governor.

1984 Amendment. Act 16 amended subsecs. (a), (b) and (e).