§ 24-1A-4 — Members, Officers and Directors; Appointment; Qualifications; Meetings of Board and Public Notice Thereof; Salaries; Record of Proceedings; Copies of Proceedings as Evidence; Permanent Maintenance of Official Record; Members, Officers, Etc., Not Personally Liable; Legislative Oversight Committee Established; Composition; Appointment; Expenses

(a) The applicants named in the application, being the seven initial appointees of the Governor by congressional districts, the Director of Finance ex officio and the Superintendent of Banks ex officio, and their respective successors in office, together with the State Treasurer ex officio, an appointee of the Governor from the state at large and the appointees of the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor, and their respective successors in office, shall constitute the members of the authority. The Governor shall, as soon as convenient after the passage of this chapter, appoint one person from each of the now existing seven congressional districts as members of the authority, and at the expiration of the terms for which they are appointed or the existence of a vacancy, their successors. At the time of their appointment, two of such seven members shall be engaged in the business of home building, two shall be licensed real estate brokers, who are not in the business of home building; one shall be engaged in the business of lending money on the security of mortgages on residential property or the officer, director or employee of a mortgage lender; one shall be an elected commissioner of a county in the state; and one shall be an elected mayor of a municipality. The seven such members first appointed shall be appointed for terms of one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven years respectively, and the Governor in the appointment shall designate the expiration date of the term of the member. In addition to the members appointed by the Governor from each of the seven congressional districts, the Governor shall appoint one additional member from the state at large, such appointment to be for a term ending on June 1, 1990. The Speaker of the House shall appoint two members and the Lieutenant Governor shall appoint two members. The members appointed by the Speaker of the House shall be appointed for three- and five-year terms and the members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor shall be for four- and six-year terms, each commencing January 1, 1982. All successor appointees shall be appointed for the remainder of any unexpired term or, if appointed at the expiration of a term, for terms of seven years. Every member of the authority shall be a citizen of the state and a person of good reputation; and shall hold office for the term of his appointment and until his successor shall have been appointed and qualified. A member, director or officer of the authority may be impeached or removed from office in the same manner and on the same grounds as provided in Section 175 of the Constitution of Alabama and the general laws of the state relating to the impeachment and removal of public officers. At least one member shall be a member of the minority race. The Director of Finance, the State Treasurer and the Superintendent of Banks shall serve as ex officio members of the authority.
(b) The members of the authority shall constitute all the members of the board of directors of the authority, in which all powers of the authority shall be vested, and a majority of the members of the board of directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
(c) The board of directors shall elect from among its members, a chairman, a vice-chairman, a secretary, a treasurer and such other officers as it may determine. The board of directors may also elect an assistant secretary and an assistant treasurer, who need not be members of the board of directors.
(d) Regular meetings of the board of directors shall be held at such time and place as shall be fixed by resolution of the board of directors and special meetings of the board of directors shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever three members of the board of directors so request; provided, that no meeting shall be held unless five days’ prior written notice of the time, place and purpose of such meeting shall have been given to each member of the oversight committee and five days’ public notice has been given in at least three daily newspapers in diverse parts of the state outlining the time, place and purpose of the meeting. Public notice shall not be waived. Any action taken by the authority under the provisions of this chapter may be authorized by resolution approved by a majority of a quorum present and voting at any regular or special meeting. No member, officer or director of the authority shall receive any salary therefor, but he may be reimbursed for necessary travel and the reasonable expenses of performing the duties of office. All proceedings had and done by the board of directors shall be reduced to writing by the secretary or assistant secretary of the authority, shall be signed by at least three directors and shall be recorded in a substantially bound book and filed in the office of the authority. All proceedings of the board shall be open to the public and all records of the board shall be subject to public inspection during business hours. Copies of such proceedings, when certified by the secretary or assistant secretary of the authority under the seal of the authority, shall be received in all courts as prima facie evidence of the matters and things therein certified. The official records of the authority shall be permanently maintained in the office of the Finance Director.
(e) No member, officer, director or employee shall be personally liable for the obligations or acts of the authority.
(f) There shall be established a legislative oversight committee to provide recommendations to the board concerning efficient operation of the authority. The committee shall consist of seven members of the House of Representatives, one from each congressional district appointed by the Speaker of the House and seven members of the Senate, one from each congressional district appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House or their designated representative shall serve as ex officio members. The legislative members, after their initial appointment, shall be named at each organizational session and all members shall serve until their successors are properly qualified.
(g) Each appointed member, officer or director of the authority shall be paid actual expenses incurred in the performance of his duties pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, whether incurred within or without the State of Alabama; provided, however, each legislative member of the oversight committee shall be paid his regular legislative compensation for each day’s attendance at meetings when not in legislative session plus actual expenses incurred in the performance of his duties pursuant to the provisions of this chapter when traveling outside the State of Alabama; and the Finance Director, State Treasurer and Superintendent of Banks shall serve without pay but shall be entitled to their actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. Any payment for compensation or reimbursement for expenses shall be made from any funds of the Alabama Housing Finance Authority.

Legislative History

(Acts 1980, No. 80-585, p. 899, §5; Acts 1981, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 81-1132, p. 397, §1; Acts 1983, No. 83-499, p. 700, §1.)