AN ACT to provide for the designation of interim members to serve on the commission of indian affairs in the event that a tribe or group is temporarily unable to fill a vacancy on the commission.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 143B‑407(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Members serving by virtue of their office within State government shall serve so long as they hold that office. Members representing Indian tribes and groups shall be elected by the tribe or group concerned and shall serve for three‑year terms except that at the first election of Commission members by tribes and groups one member from each tribe or group shall be elected to a one‑year term, one member from each tribe or group to a two‑year term, and one member from the Lumbees to a three‑year term. The initial appointment from the Indians of Person County shall expire on June 30, 1999. The initial appointment from the Triangle Native American Society shall expire June 30, 2003. The initial appointment of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation shall expire June 30, 2005. Thereafter, all Commission members will be elected to three‑year terms. All members shall hold their offices until their successors are appointed and qualified. Vacancies occurring on the Commission shall be filled by the tribal council or governing body concerned. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy shall be appointed for the remainder of the term of the member causing the vacancy. The Governor shall appoint a chairman of the Commission from among the Indian members of the Commission, subject to ratification by the full Commission. The initial appointments by the General Assembly shall expire on June 30, 1983. Thereafter, successors shall serve for terms of two years.
In the event that a vacancy occurs among the membership representing Indian tribes and groups and the vacancy temporarily cannot be filled by the tribe or group for any reason, the Commission membership may designate a tribal or group member to serve on the Commission on an interim basis until the tribe or group is able to select a permanent member to fill the vacancy. The service of the interim member shall terminate immediately upon appointment by the tribe or group of a member to fill the vacancy in its membership."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2009.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 21st day of May, 2009.

	s/	 Walter H. Dalton
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 Joe Hackney
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Beverly E. Perdue
	 Governor

Approved 11:55 a.m. this 27th day of May, 2009