The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee on Wednesday took up Speaker Pro-Tem Chris Pringle's (R-Mobile) bill authorizing appointees to remove and replace their appointments to boards and commissions. A committee substitute adding a few exceptions and an amendment adding minority appointing authorities were offered and passed, and the bill received favorable committee action.
HB220, as passed by the House, would have applied to 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.
The committee substitute added the lieutenant governor to the list of individuals who can rescind and replace their appointments and made exceptions for the boards of two and four-year higher education entities, the Port Authority and the Ethics Commission.
The amendment added the minority leader of the House and Senate to the list of those able to rescind appointments.
There was one speaker during the public hearing portion of the bill — Rob Pearson, who is the government affairs representative for the Alabama Society of CPA's.
Pearson commended his board, the Alabama State Board of Public Accountancy, and asked that they not be "lumped in" with any other boards that may be getting attention from the legislature.
State Sen. Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham) expressed concern that the bill does not require a cause for removal.
"I can understand having the ability to remove if you're the appointing authority, but, again, there's nothing in here that says that it has to be for cause. It could be I don't like what you're wearing today, or I don't, something. But there's nothing in here, and so I just wanted to publicly explain why I'm voting no."
State Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile) shared that concern.
"I, too, will be voting no, and it's because there's so much that is politicized that we need to be doing everything we can to show fairness to everybody, no matter if you're in the majority or minority, and we all know, a majority can become a minority."
Figures voted for the amendment allowing the minority leaders in the House and Senate, but joined Coleman in voting against the committee substitute and the substitute with the amendment.
The bill will now go to the full Senate for a vote.
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