(1) To be eligible for certification by the department as the cotton growers’ association, the cotton growers’ organization must:(a) Be a nonprofit organization within the meaning of s. 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (26 U.S.C. s. 501(a)).
(b) Be open to all commercial cotton growers in this state.
(c) Have only one class of members, with each member having only one vote.
(d) Be governed by a board of directors consisting of seven commercial cotton growers elected by the membership and one employee of the department appointed by the department, who shall be a nonvoting member.
(2)(a) The terms of office of the board members shall be for 3 years or until their successors are duly appointed and qualified.
(b) Immediately after their appointment, the members of the board shall meet and organize by the election of a chair and a vice chair, whose terms of office shall be for 1 year. The board shall meet at the call of its chair, at the request of a majority of its membership, at the request of the department, or at such times as may be prescribed by its rules. A majority of the members of the board shall constitute a quorum for all purposes, and an act by a majority of such quorum at any meeting shall constitute an official act of the board.
(c) The members of the board shall receive no compensation for their services, except that they shall receive per diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061, when actually engaged in the business of the board. (3) The books, records of account, and minutes of proceedings of the board shall be available for inspection or audit by the department upon request at any reasonable time. The board shall provide the department with an annual audit of its accounts performed by a certified public accountant.
(4) Any employee or agent of the board who handles its funds must be adequately bonded.
