(a) There is created the Alabama Board for Registered Interior Designers, to be comprised of seven members appointed by the Governor in the manner set forth in this section. The members of the Alabama State Board of Registration for Interior Design serving on August 1, 2010, pursuant to former Section 34-15B-4, shall immediately serve as board members of the Alabama Board for Registered Interior Designers created by this chapter. For continuity purposes, a board member serving on August 1, 2010, shall continue to serve under this chapter for the remainder of his or her term, and according to the appointment schedule, for which he or she was appointed by the Governor pursuant to former Section 34-15B-4.
(b) All appointments occurring after August 1, 2010, shall be for terms of four years, except an appointment to fill a vacancy, which shall be for the unexpired term only. No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms of office. All members shall continue to serve until a successor is appointed by the Governor.
(c) The composition of the board shall be as follows:
(1) Five members of the board shall be registered interior designers, shall be engaged in the full-time practice of interior design, and shall be appointed from districts provided in subsection (e).
(2) One member shall be a professional educator, who teaches in a college or university level interior design program, and who is a registered interior designer or was previously registered or certified by the former Alabama State Board of Registration for Interior Design. If no educator with these qualifications is willing and able to serve on the board, this position shall be filled by an educator who has the necessary credentials to be registered and who agrees to apply for a certificate of registration within the first year of his or her service on the board.
(3) One member shall be a consumer who is not a design professional. The consumer member may not be employed in the fields of construction, architecture, engineering, interior design, interior decorating, or any related field.
(d) Of the seven members listed in subsection (c), at least one shall be a member of a minority race, and the total membership of the board shall reflect the racial, gender, urban/rural, and economic diversity of the state.
(e) The five registered interior design members of the board, appointed by district, shall be appointed as follows:
(1) Five districts shall be created: Northern, Central, Western, Eastern, and Southern. One practicing registered interior designer shall be appointed from each district.
a. The Northern District shall be comprised of Lauderdale, Colbert, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan, Cullman, Marshall, Madison, Jackson, DeKalb, Cherokee, Etowah, Calhoun, and Cleburne Counties.
b. The Central District shall be comprised of Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, and Talladega Counties.
c. The Western District shall be comprised of Marion, Winston, Lamar, Fayette, Franklin, Walker, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Sumter, Greene, Hale, Bibb, Perry, Dallas, Marengo, Choctaw, Lowndes, Shelby, and Wilcox Counties.
d. The Eastern District shall be comprised of Randolph, Clay, Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chambers, Autauga, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Bullock, Pike, Coffee, Dale, Henry, Barbour, Russell, and Crenshaw Counties.
e. The Southern District shall be comprised of Butler, Covington, Conecuh, Escambia, Houston, Monroe, Clarke, Washington, Mobile, Geneva, and Baldwin Counties.
(2) When appropriate, the chair of the board shall notify in writing each registered interior designer, by district of residence, of the time and place for a district nomination meeting. The purpose of the district nomination meeting shall be to select members to serve on a statewide nominating committee. The district nomination meeting, held for the purpose of selecting new members to serve on the statewide nominating committee, shall be held every four years, or as required, for the purpose of filling vacancies on the statewide nominating committee.
(3) At the district nomination meeting, the members of each district shall select a chair for their respective district for that meeting, shall proceed according to Robert’s Rules of Order, as most recently revised, and shall select one person to serve on the statewide nominating committee. Minutes of the meeting shall be recorded, signed by the chair of the meeting, and a copy of the signed minutes shall be provided to the chair of the board and the chair of the statewide nominating committee. The person shall be selected by a plurality of the vote and shall be a registered interior designer who resides in the district.
(f)(1) The statewide nominating committee shall be composed of one person from each of the five districts listed in subsection (e). Each person selected for the statewide nominating committee shall immediately notify the chair of the board and the chair of the statewide nominating committee of his or her selection.
(2) A new statewide nominating committee shall be elected every four years for the purpose of filling any vacancies or expired terms which may occur on the board. The statewide nominating committee shall be convened, by call of the chair of the statewide nominating committee or notice from a majority of the members thereof, as soon as practical whenever a vacancy occurs on the board or at any time within 60 days preceding the expiration of the term of a board member. All appointments to the board shall be made in the manner provided in this section.
(3) If a vacancy occurs on the statewide nominating committee, the chair of the statewide nominating committee shall notify the chair of the board, who shall call a district nominating committee meeting to fill the vacancy. Only practicing registered interior designers may vote in a district nomination meeting or serve upon the statewide nominating committee.
(4) The statewide nominating committee shall be convened, by call of the chair of the statewide nominating committee or notice from a majority of the members thereof, as soon as practical whenever a vacancy occurs on the board or at any time within 60 days preceding the expiration of the term of a board member. All appointments to the board shall be made in the manner provided in this section.
(5) Each board member nominated by the statewide nominating committee shall reside in the district from which he or she is appointed.
(6) The statewide nominating committee shall select and submit the names of at least two registered interior designers to the Governor no later than 60 days of the expiration of the term of a board member, or no later than 60 days of any vacancy on the board.
(g) The Governor may remove any member of the board for misconduct, incapacity, incompetence, or neglect of duty after the member so charged has been served with a written notice of the same and has been given an opportunity to be heard by the Governor. Absence from any three consecutive meetings of the board, without cause acceptable to the Governor, shall be deemed cause for removal of any member.
(h) Each member of the board shall receive the same per diem, travel, and expense allowance as is paid by law to state employees for the time spent in the performance of duties and in necessary travel.
(i) The board shall hold two or more meetings per year for the purpose of performing its duties pursuant to this chapter. A simple majority of the members of the board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. A simple majority vote of the members present shall be sufficient to transact the business of the board. A new chair shall be elected 60 days before the end of the term of the previous chair. If no new chair is elected before the end of the term of the previous chair, the previous chair shall continue to serve until a successor is elected. Vacancies in such chair position shall be filled by act of the board.
(j) The chair may appoint a full-time or part-time executive director or administrative assistant to the board, with the consent of the majority of the members of the board. The executive director or administrative assistant shall serve at the pleasure of the board. The salary of the executive director or administrative assistant shall be set by the board. The executive director or administrative assistant shall serve as the executive officer to the board, but shall not be a member of the board. The board, by majority vote of its members, may employ additional persons, who shall serve at the pleasure of the board, to assist the board and the executive director or administrative assistant in the keeping of the records and in the performance of its duties, subject to available funding.