There is created the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. The commission shall consist of seven members, one from each of the seven Congressional Districts, of whom three shall meet the legal definition of blindness as defined in Section 43-25-20. The Governor shall, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint the members of the commission for terms of four years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. All vacancies must be filled in the manner of the original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term only. The members of the commission shall elect one of its members as chairman for a term of two years or until his successor has been elected. The chairman shall preside at the regular meetings of the commission to be held at least once each month. The chairman may call a meeting when he considers it necessary to be held at a time to be determined by the commission. The commission shall appoint a commissioner and other officers as the commission considers necessary, none of whom may be a member of the commission, and shall fix the compensation and prescribe the duties of these appointees. The members of the commission shall receive no salary but must be allowed the usual mileage, subsistence, and per diem as authorized by law for commissions, committees, and boards.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 71-291; 1966 (54) 2325; 1975 (59) 150; 2012 Act No. 279, Section 15, eff June 26, 2012; 2018 Act No. 239 (H.3440), Section 1, eff May 17, 2018.

Editor's Note

2012 Act No. 279, Section 33, provides as follows:

"Due to the congressional redistricting, any person elected or appointed to serve, or serving, as a member of any board, commission, or committee to represent a congressional district, whose residency is transferred to another district by a change in the composition of the district, may serve, or continue to serve, the term of office for which he was elected or appointed; however, the appointing or electing authority shall appoint or elect an additional member on that board, commission, or committee from the district which loses a resident member as a result of the transfer to serve until the term of the transferred member expires. When a vacancy occurs in the district to which a member has been transferred, the vacancy must not be filled until the full term of the transferred member expires. Further, the inability to hold an election or to make an appointment due to judicial review of the congressional districts does not constitute a vacancy."

Effect of Amendment

2018 Act No. 239, Section 1, in the second sentence, substituted "meet the legal definition of blindness as defined in Section 43-25-20" for "have a visual acuity not to exceed 20/20".