1. There is created and established the “State Committee of Marital and Family Therapists” which shall consist of four family and marital therapists and two voting public members. The committee shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Committee members shall serve for a term of five years, except for the members first appointed, one public member and one other member shall be appointed for five years, two members shall be appointed for four years, the other public member and one other member appointed for three years. No person shall be eligible for appointment to the committee who has served as a member of the committee for a total of ten years. Members shall be appointed to represent a diversity in gender, race and ethnicity. No more than three members shall be from the same political party.

2. Each nonpublic committee member shall be a resident of the state of Missouri for one year, shall be a United States citizen, and shall meet all the requirements for licensing enumerated in sections 337.700 to 337.739, shall be licensed as a licensed marital and family therapist under sections 337.700 to 337.739, except the members of the first committee, who shall be licensed within six months of their appointment, and are actively engaged in the practice of marital and family therapy. If a member of the committee shall, during the member’s term as a committee member, remove the member’s domicile from the state of Missouri, then the committee shall immediately notify the governor, and the seat of that committee member shall be declared vacant. All such vacancies shall be filled by appointment as in the same manner as the first appointment, and the member so appointed shall serve for the unexpired term of the member whose seat has been declared vacant. The public members shall be at the time of each member’s appointment a citizen of the United States; a resident of this state for a period of one year and a registered voter; a person who is not and never was a member of any profession licensed or regulated pursuant to this chapter or the spouse of such person; a person who does not have and never has had a material, financial interest in either the provision of the professional services regulated by this chapter, or an activity or organization directly related to any profession licensed or regulated pursuant to this chapter.

3. The committee shall hold a regular annual meeting at which it shall select from among its members a chairman and a secretary. A quorum of the committee shall consist of a majority of its members. In the absence of the chairman, the secretary shall conduct the office of the chairman.

4. No member of the committee shall receive any compensation for the performance of the member’s official duties but shall be entitled to reimbursement for necessary and actual expenses incurred in the performance of the member’s duties. The committee shall share resources and facilities with the office for the committee for professional counselors provided for in sections 337.500 to 337.540. All staff for the committee shall be provided by the director of the division of professional registration.

5. The governor may remove any member of the committee for misconduct, inefficiency, incompetency or neglect of office.