This provision creates the Legislative Council of the State of Alabama, describes who serves on it, and lets the House or Senate council make temporary appointments to fill elected-member vacancies when the Legislature is not in session.
(a) There is created a continuing legislative committee to be known as the Legislative Council of the State of Alabama. The council consists of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the House Majority Leader, the House Minority Leader, the Chairs of the Ways and Means General Fund and Ways and Means Education Committees, two members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker, two members of the House of Representatives elected by the House of Representatives, and one member of the House of Representatives elected by members of the House of Representatives who are not members of the majority party, who shall constitute the House Legislative Council, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Senate Majority Leader, the Senate Minority Leader, the Chairs of the Finance and Taxation General Fund and Finance and Taxation Education Committees, two Senators appointed by the President Pro Tempore, two members of the Senate elected by the Senate, and one member of the Senate elected by members of the Senate who are not members of the majority party, who shall constitute the Senate Legislative Council. The elected House and Senate members shall be elected at the organizational session of each quadrennium. (b)(1) Members of the council may serve on the council as long as the member retains the office that qualified the member for service or during the term to which the member was appointed or elected and, if reelected to the same house without a break in service to that house, during the succeeding legislative term until a successor is appointed or elected as provided by law. No member may be elected to more than two consecutive four-year terms and no member may be appointed to more than two consecutive four-year terms. Any member serving ex officio may remain on the Legislative Council as long as the member holds the office qualifying the member for membership. (2) If a vacancy occurs in its elected membership while the Legislature is not in session, the House Legislative Council or the Senate Legislative Council, as appropriate, may make temporary appointments to fill the vacancy until the vacancy is filled by an election of the appropriate members of the House or Senate, as the case may be.