Section 62-19-5 - Qualifications of commissionersA. Commissioners shall be persons who are independent of the industries regulated by the commission and shall possess demonstrated competence.B. In order to be appointed as a commissioner, a person must be qualified for office by: (1) having a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education that has been accredited by a regional or national accrediting body and at least ten years of professional experience in an area regulated by the commission or in the energy sector and involving a scope of work that includes accounting, public or business administration, economics, finance, statistics, policy, engineering or law; or(2) having higher education resulting in at least a professional license or a post-graduate degree from an institution of higher education that has been accredited by a regional or national accrediting body in a field related to an area regulated by the commission, including accounting, public or business administration, economics, finance, statistics, policy, engineering or law, and at least ten years of professional experience within the person's field.C. A commissioner shall not have a financial interest in a public utility in this state or elsewhere and shall not have been employed by a commission-regulated entity at any time during the two years prior to appointment to the commission.D. Commissioners shall give their entire time to the business of the commission and shall not pursue any other business or vocation or hold any other office for profit.E. As used in this section, "professional experience" means employment in which the prospective appointee for commissioner regularly made decisions requiring discretion and independent judgment and:(1) engaged in policy analysis, research, consumer advocacy or implementation in an area regulated by the commission or in the energy sector;(2) managed, as the head, deputy head or division director, a federal, state, tribal or local government department or division responsible for utilities, energy policy or construction; or(3) managed a business or organization regulated by the commission or in the energy sector that had five or more employees during the time it was managed by the prospective appointee. Laws 2013, ch. 64, § 1; 2019, ch. 212, § 210; § 8-8-3.1, recompiled and amended as § 62-19-5 by Laws 2020, ch. 9, § 19.Amended by 2023, c. 100,s. 17, eff. 7/1/2024.