16 U.S.C. § 932 — Commissioners; appointment, number, and compensation; term of office; vacancy

(a)(1) The United States is represented on the Commission by four Commissioners appointed by the President. They receive no compensation for serving as Commissioners. One must be a United States Government official. Three must live in different Great Lakes States and know about Great Lakes fisheries; one of those three must also be an official of a Great Lakes State. (2) The President must appoint an alternate Commissioner. The alternate performs a Commissioner’s duties until a vacancy described in subsection (b)(3) is filled and when a Commissioner is absent from a meeting of the United States Section or the Commission. (3) Commissioners are not federal employees while serving, except for injury compensation and tort-claims liability under chapters 81 of title 5 and 171 of title 28. (b)(1) Commissioners appointed under subsection (a)(1)(B) serve six-year terms unless paragraph (2) applies. (2) Of the first such Commissioners appointed after November 14, 1986, one serves two years, one four years, and one six years. (3) When a vacancy occurs among those Commissioners, the President must appoint someone to serve the rest of the applicable term.