Members of the Merit Commission shall be initially appointed as follows:
Thereafter, members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Secretary of State for six year terms with the advice and consent of the Senate.
A member of the Commission shall be appointed as Chairman by the Secretary of State for a two-year term. The Secretary of State may appoint the Chairman for consecutive terms. The Chairman may also be appointed as the Administrator responsible for overseeing the Commission staff and day-to-day operations of the Commission.
The Secretary of State may appoint a person to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of a six year term for the remainder of the unexpired term with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The salary of the Chairman of the Commission shall be $10,000 per annum or an amount set by the Compensation Review Board, whichever is greater, and other members of the Commission shall be paid $7,500 per annum or an amount set by the Compensation Review Board, whichever is greater. They shall be entitled to reimbursement for necessary traveling and other official expenditures necessitated by their official duties. If the Chairman of the Commission is also appointed as the Administrator of the Commission, the Chairman's salary will be set by the Secretary.
15 ILCS 310/8a