(a) The Governor shall appoint a Cancer Advisory Committee to advise the department in the administration of this chapter. The committee shall establish priorities and recommend relative budgets for the various purposes of this chapter as described below.

(b) The Cancer Advisory Committee shall consist of 18 members appointed by the Governor as follows:

(1) Four members representing medical schools as follows: The term of office of those two members appointed from a list of names submitted to the Governor by the deans of the medical schools located within this state, which members are serving as such on June 30, 1985, shall expire on that date and upon the appointment and qualification of the first two members appointed by the Governor in 1985 pursuant to this paragraph. On and after July 1, 1985, four membership positions on the committee shall represent the four medical schools, whether public or private, located within this state. The deans of those schools shall each submit to the Governor a list of three names and the Governor shall appoint one member from each of those four lists;

(2) Two members shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of six names submitted to him by the chief executive officers of the hospitals or cancer clinics located within Georgia which are equipped to provide modern treatment for patients suffering from cancer;

(3) Two members shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of six names submitted to him by the Medical Association of Georgia;

(4) Two members shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of six names submitted to him by the American Cancer Society, Georgia Division;

(5) The term of office of the two members appointed from the list of names submitted to the Governor by the Georgia Cancer Management Network, Inc., shall expire upon July 1, 1985, and such two membership positions shall thereafter be abolished;

(6) One member shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of three names submitted to him by the Georgia Claims Association and the Georgia Chapter of the Health Insurance Association of America;

(7) One member shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of three names submitted to him by the director of the Division of Rehabilitation Services of the Department of Labor;

(8) Two members shall be selected by the Governor from the general public;

(9) One member shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of three names submitted to him by the Georgia Nurses Association;

(10) One member shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of three names submitted to him by the Georgia Association of Pathologists; (11) One member shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of three names submitted to him by the Georgia State Medical Association; and

(12) One member shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of three names submitted to him by the Georgia Pharmaceutical Association.

(c) The persons whose names are submitted to the Governor by the medical colleges, the hospitals, the Medical Association of Georgia, the Georgia State Medical Association, and the Georgia Association of Pathologists shall all be physicians licensed to practice medicine under the laws of Georgia, and the persons whose names are submitted by the Medical Association of Georgia and the Georgia State Medical Association shall all be actively engaged in the practice of medicine. The persons whose names are submitted to the Governor by the Georgia Nurses Association shall all be registered professional nurses licensed to practice nursing under the laws of Georgia. All persons whose names are submitted to the Governor by the Georgia Pharmaceutical Association shall be registered pharmacists licensed to practice pharmacy under the laws of Georgia.

(d) The Governor shall appoint the initial members for staggered terms as follows: three shall be appointed for terms to expire on December 31, 1977; three shall be appointed for terms to expire on December 31, 1978; three shall be appointed for terms to expire on December 31, 1979; and six shall be appointed for terms to expire on December 31, 1980. Thereafter, their successors shall be appointed for terms of four years, and until their successors are appointed and qualified, to begin on the expiration of the respective terms of office. In the event of a vacancy for any reason, the Governor shall fill said vacancy for the unexpired term in the same manner that other appointments are made. Those initial members added to the committee in 1985 shall be appointed for initial terms beginning July 1, 1985, and expiring December 31, 1989, and upon the appointment and qualification of their respective successors. Thereafter, their successors shall be appointed for terms of four years and until their respective successors are appointed and qualified, such terms to begin on the expiration of the respective terms of office.

(e) The Cancer Advisory Committee shall meet as often as the commissioner deems necessary but not less than twice each year.