(a) The Commission consists of 13 voting members and one non-voting ex-officio member.
(b) The voting members are appointed by the County Executive, subject to Council confirmation, and must include:
(1) 11 County residents with demonstrated knowledge under subsection (d);
(2) at least one member who represents a service provider for incarcerated persons or persons with a criminal record; and
(3) at least one member who was incarcerated or has a criminal history.
(c) Members appointed under paragraph (1) of subsection (b) may include individuals with demonstrated experience in:
(1) youth engagement and education programs;
(2) jobs training and placement programs for marginalized individuals;
(3) housing services and unhoused prevention services; and
(4) economic development or entrepreneurship benefitting low-income communities or disproportionately impacted areas.
(d) Ex-officio member. The Director is a non-voting, ex-officio member of the Commission.
(e) Application. An individual wishing to serve on the Commission must submit an application to the County Executive and the Council describing the individual’s demonstrated knowledge, through education, training, or work or personal experience, of one or more of the following:
(1) the history of the resistance of people of African descent to white supremacy, enslavement, Jim Crow laws, and other examples of racial violence and discrimination;
(2) the history of the resistance of racial, ethnic, and other minority groups against discrimination, violence, and inequality;
(3) the needs of individuals returning to the community after incarceration;
(4) the impact of the disproportionate enforcement of drug laws on the quality of life experienced by racial and ethnic minorities, especially people of African descent, including specialization in:
(A) the disruption of families;
(B) exposure to the prison system;
(C) trauma experienced as a result of community and police violence; or
(D) another similar factor contributing to quality of life; and
(5) methods for delivering community investment that empower marginalized people to have a voice in the distribution of resources. (2024 L.M.C., ch. 9, § 1.)
Editor’s note—2024 L.M.C., ch. 9, § 2, states: Sec. 2. Staggered terms. The initial voting members appointed to the Commission established under this Act must be staggered. Of the 13 voting members, 4 must have initial terms of one year; 4 must have initial terms of 2 years; and 5 must have initial terms of 3 years.