Section 36-14-17 Centralized Data Collection and Display Regarding Appointees to Certain State Entities.

(a) As used in this section, the following words have the following meanings: (1) BOARD. A state board, commission, committee, permanent task force, or similar multi-member entity created by executive order of the Governor or by law and having statewide or regional jurisdiction or application. (2) VACANCY. A vacancy in an existing board, or a new, unfilled board position. (b)(1) Not later than April 3, 2023, the Secretary of State shall establish and maintain on the official website of the Secretary of State accurate, detailed, and up-to-date information regarding every board which includes, at a minimum, all of the following information: a. The name of the board, its mailing address, telephone number, and email address. b. A brief description of the board’s mission and duties. c. The name of each appointee to the board. d. The date of appointment, term of appointment, and expiration date of the term of appointment of each appointee. e. The name and position of the appointing authority of each appointee. f. The statutory authority for board appointments. (2) The website shall have a search feature that, at a minimum, allows searches by board name, by appointing authority, and by terms and expiration date of appointments. (3) Not later than 30 days after a new board is created, the Secretary of State shall update the website to include the information described in subdivision (1). (c) The chair of an existing board shall notify the Secretary of State by electronic means of a vacancy as follows: (1) For a vacancy scheduled to occur on the board as a result of the expiration of a term, at least 45 days before the vacancy occurs. (2) For a vacancy occurring for any reason other than the expiration of a term, as soon as possible, and in any case within 15 days after the occurrence of the vacancy. (d) Notification of the appointment of board members of a newly created board shall be provided electronically to the Secretary of State within five business days of appointment as follows: (1) For an appointing authority who is a member of the Legislature, the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate, as appropriate, shall notify the Secretary of State of the appointment. (2) For any other appointing authority, the appointing authority shall notify the Secretary of State of the appointment. (e) The chair of each board shall be responsible for ensuring all relevant information is transmitted to the Secretary of State in a timely manner. (f) Not more than 30 days after a board is sunsetted, abolished, or terminated, the Secretary of State shall remove the board from the website as an active board, but may retain the board information for archival purposes. (g) The Secretary of State shall maintain on the website of the Secretary of State a list of all current vacancies. (h) The Secretary of State, on or before the tenth legislative day of each regular session of the Legislature, shall submit a report detailing the membership and viability status of each board to the Chairs of the House Boards, Agencies, and Commissions Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. If the annual report reveals that a board has been inactive for five or more years, the Secretary of State shall recommend that the Sunset Committee call the board for review, pursuant to the Alabama Sunset Law of 1981, and introduce a bill to terminate the board during the next regular session. (i) The Secretary of State may adopt necessary rules to implement and administer this section.