1. 1. There is hereby established a joint committee of the general assembly, which shall be known as the "Joint Committee on Education", which shall be composed of five members of the senate and five members of the house of representatives. The senate members of the committee shall be appointed by the president pro tem of the senate and the house members by the speaker of the house.
2. 2. The committee shall only meet and function in the year 1988 and each fourth year thereafter. Members shall be appointed on the first day of the legislative session in January of every year in which the committee is to meet and function, and shall serve for a period of not less than six months nor more than one year.
3. 3. The committee shall be first convened ten days after its appointment and shall select either a chairman or cochairmen, one of whom shall be a member of the senate and one a member of the house. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. Meetings of the committee may be called at such time and place as the chairman or chairmen designate.

4. 4. The committee shall:

   1. (1) Review and monitor the progress of education in the state's public schools;
   2. (2) Receive reports from the commissioner of education concerning the public schools;
   3. (3) Conduct a study and analysis of the public school system;
   4. (4) Make recommendations to the general assembly for legislative action.
5. 5. The committee may make reasonable requests for staff assistance from the research and appropriations staffs of the house and senate and the committee on legislative research, as well as the department of elementary and secondary education and the department of higher education.
6. 6. Members of the committee shall receive no compensation but may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses associated with the performance of their official duties.

(L. 1985 H.B. 463 § 3)