(a) The General Conference Committee Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson shall be elected by the members of the General Conference Committee. A representative of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will serve as Executive Secretary and will provide the necessary staff support for the General Conference Committee. The General Conference Committee shall consist of one member-at-large who is a participant in the National Poultry Improvement Plan and one member to be elected, as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, from each of the following regions:

(1) North Atlantic: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

(2) East North Central: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

(3) West North Central: Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas.

(4) South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

(5) South Central: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

(6) Western: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii.

(b) The regional committee members and their alternates will be elected by the official delegates of their respective regions, and the member-at-large will be elected by all official delegates. There must be at least two nominees for each position, the voting will be by secret ballot, and the results will be recorded. The ballots for electing regional committee members and their alternates will be printed in such a way as to allow the specific selection of one nominee for member, and one nominee for alternate from the remaining nominees. At least one nominee from each region must be from an underrepresented group (minorities, women, or persons with disabilities). The process for soliciting nominations for regional committee members will include, but not be limited to: Advertisements in at least two industry journals, such as the newsletters of the American Association of Avian Pathologists, the National Chicken Council, the United Egg Producers, and the National Turkey Federation; a Federal Register announcement; and special inquiries for nominations from universities or colleges with minority/disability enrollments and faculty members in poultry science or veterinary science.

(c) Three regional members shall be elected at each Plan Conference. All members shall serve for a period of 4 years, subject to the continuation of the Committee by the Secretary of Agriculture, and may not succeed themselves: Provided, That an alternate member who assumed a Committee member vacancy following mid-term would be eligible for re-election to a full term. When there is a vacancy for the member-at-large position, the General Conference Committee shall make an interim appointment and the appointee shall serve until the next Plan Conference at which time an election will be held. If a vacancy occurs due to both a regional member and alternate being unable to serve, the vacant position will be filled by an election at the earliest regularly scheduled national or regional Plan Conference, where members of the affected region have assembled.

(d) The duties and functions of the General Conference Committee shall be as follows:

(1) Advise and make recommendations to the Department on the relative importance of maintaining, at all times, adequate departmental funding for the NPIP to enable the Senior Coordinator and staff to fully administer the provisions of the Plan.

(2) Advise and make yearly recommendations to the Department with respect to the NPIP budget well in advance of the start of the budgetary process.

(3) Assist the Department in planning, organizing, and conducting the biennial National Poultry Improvement Plan Conference.

(4) Consider each proposal submitted as provided in § 147.44 and make recommendations to subpart Committees and the Conference. Meet jointly with the NPIP Technical Committee and consider the technical aspects and accuracy of each proposal. Recommend whether new proposals (i.e., proposals that have not been submitted as provided in § 147.44) should be considered by the delegates to the Plan Conference.

(5) During the interim between Plan Conferences, represent the cooperating States in:

(i) Advising the Department with respect to administrative procedures and interpretations of the Plan provisions as contained in 9 CFR.

(ii) Assisting the Department in evaluating comments received from interested persons concerning proposed amendments to the Plan provisions.

(iii) Recommending to the Secretary of Agriculture any changes in the provisions of the Plan as may be necessitated by unforeseen conditions when postponement until the next Plan Conference would seriously impair the operation of the program. Such recommendations shall remain in effect only until confirmed or rejected by the next Plan Conference, or until rescinded by the committee.

(6) Serve as an official advisory committee for the study of problems relating to poultry health and as the need arises, to make specific recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture concerning ways in which the Department may assist the industry in solving these problems.

(7) Serve as a direct liaison between the NPIP and the United States Animal Health Association.

(8) Advise and make recommendations to the Department regarding NPIP involvement or representation at poultry industry functions and activities as deemed necessary or advisable for the purposes of the NPIP.