The Alabama House awarded approval on Tuesday to legislation sponsored by Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, and Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, that provides the governor, the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate with the authority to remove and replace board and commission members that they appoint.
House Bill 220 applies to “any board, authority, or commission comprised of individual members, of which some or all members are appointed, as established under state law” and notes that all appointees “serve at the pleasure” of their appointing authority.
“Being appointed to a state board or commission is a privilege, not a right, and we need a mechanism to remove appointees when they fail to fulfill their duties, habitually miss meetings, or otherwise ignore their responsibilities,” said Speaker Ledbetter. “This legislation brings a much-needed layer of accountability to the appointments and removal process and ensures that the needs of Alabama taxpayers are being met and served at all times.”
Pringle said recent events that occurred at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega highlight the need for the bill and the appointee removal and replacement process that it allows.
“When the Examiners of Public Accounts discovered highly questionable administrative practices and a complete lack of oversight at the Motorsports Hall of Fame, Gov. Kay Ivey vacated the entire board of directors and appointed new members to clean up the mess,” said Pro Tem Pringle. “State law allowed her to fire and replace that board, but we need to make sure that same ability applies to every board and commission and every appointing authority so we can address similar transgressions if they ever occur again.”
HB220 now heads to the Senate for consideration.
