(a) The party states hereby create and establish a joint public entity known as the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators.
(1) The commission is an instrumentality of the party states.
(2) Venue is proper, and judicial proceedings by or against the commission shall be brought solely and exclusively, in a court of competent jurisdiction where the principal office of the commission is located. The commission may waive venue and jurisdictional defenses to the extent the commission adopts or consents to participate in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
(3) Nothing in this compact shall be construed to be a waiver of sovereign immunity.
(b) Membership, voting, and meetings.
(1) Each party state shall have and be limited to one administrator. The head of the state licensing board for each party state, or his or her designee, shall be the administrator of this compact for that state. An administrator may be removed or suspended from office as provided by the law of the state from which the administrator is appointed. Any vacancy occurring in the commission shall be filled in accordance with the laws of the party state in which the vacancy exists.
(2) Each administrator shall be entitled to one vote with regard to the promulgation of rules and creation of bylaws and shall otherwise have an opportunity to participate in the business and affairs of the commission. An administrator shall vote in person or by such other means as provided in the bylaws. The bylaws may provide for the participation of an administrator in meetings by telephone or other means of communication.
(3) The commission shall meet at least once during each calendar year. Additional meetings shall be held as set forth in the bylaws or rules of the commission.
(4) All meetings of the commission shall be open to the public, and public notice of meetings shall be given in the same manner as required under the rulemaking provisions in Section 34-21-127.
(5) The commission may convene in a closed, nonpublic meeting if the commission must discuss any of the following:
a. Noncompliance of a party state with its obligations under this compact.
b. The employment, compensation, discipline, or other personnel matters, practices, or procedures related to specific employees or other matters related to the internal personnel practices and procedures of the commission.
c. Current, threatened, or reasonably anticipated litigation.
d. Negotiation of contracts for the purchase or sale of goods, services, or real estate.
e. Accusing any person of a crime or formally censuring any person.
f. Disclosure of trade secrets or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential.
g. Disclosure of information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
h. Disclosure of investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes.
i. Disclosure of information related to any reports prepared by or on behalf of the commission for the purpose of investigation of compliance with this compact.
j. Matters specifically exempted from disclosure by federal or state statute.
(6) If a meeting, or portion of a meeting, is closed pursuant to this subsection, the legal counsel of the commission, or his or her designee, shall certify that the meeting may be closed and shall reference each relevant exempting provision. The commission shall keep minutes that fully and clearly describe all matters discussed in a meeting and shall provide a full and accurate summary of actions taken, and the reasons therefor, including a description of the views expressed. All documents considered in connection with an action shall be identified in the minutes. All minutes and documents of a closed meeting shall remain under seal, subject to release by a majority vote of the administrators or order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) The commission, by a majority vote of the administrators, shall prescribe bylaws or rules to govern its conduct as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes and exercise the powers of this compact including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Establishing the fiscal year of the commission.
(2) Providing reasonable standards and procedures for all of the following:
a. For the establishment and meetings of other committees.
b. Governing any general or specific delegation of any authority or function of the commission.
(3) Providing reasonable procedures for calling and conducting meetings of the commission, ensuring reasonable advance notice of all meetings, and providing an opportunity for attendance of the meetings by interested parties, with enumerated exceptions designed to protect the interest of the public, the privacy of individuals, and proprietary information, including trade secrets. The commission may meet in closed session only after a majority of the administrators vote to close a meeting, in whole or in part. As soon as practicable, the commission shall make public a copy of the vote to close the meeting revealing the vote of each administrator, with no proxy votes allowed.
(4) Establishing the titles, duties, and authority and reasonable procedures for the election of the officers of the commission.
(5) Providing reasonable standards and procedures for the establishment of personnel policies and programs for the commission. Notwithstanding any civil service or other similar laws of any party state, the bylaws shall exclusively govern the personnel policies and programs of the commission.
(6) Providing a mechanism for winding up the operations of the commission and the equitable disposition of any surplus funds that may exist after the termination of this compact after the payment or reserving of all of its debts and obligations.
(d) The commission shall publish its bylaws and rules, and any amendments thereto, in a convenient form on the website of the commission.
(e) The commission shall maintain its financial records in accordance with the bylaws.
(f) The commission shall meet and take such actions as are consistent with this compact and the bylaws.
(g) The commission shall have all of the following powers:
(1) To promulgate uniform rules to facilitate and coordinate implementation and administration of this compact. The rules shall have the force and effect of law and shall be binding in all party states.
(2) To bring and prosecute legal proceedings or actions in the name of the commission, provided that the standing of any licensing board to sue or be sued under applicable law shall not be affected.
(3) To purchase and maintain insurance and bonds.
(4) To borrow, accept, or contract for services of personnel including, but not limited to, employees of a party state or nonprofit organizations.
(5) To cooperate with other organizations that administer state compacts related to the regulation of nursing including, but not limited to, sharing administrative or staff expenses, office space, or other resources.
(6) To hire employees, elect or appoint officers, fix compensation, define duties, grant such individuals appropriate authority to carry out the purposes of this compact, and to establish the personnel policies and programs relating to conflicts of interest, qualifications of personnel, and other related personnel matters of the commission.
(7) To accept any and all appropriate donations, grants, and gifts of money, equipment, supplies, materials, and services, and to receive, utilize, and dispose of the same; provided that at all times the commission shall avoid any appearance of impropriety or conflict of interest.
(8) To lease, purchase, or accept appropriate gifts or donations of, or otherwise to own, hold, improve, or use, any property, whether real, personal, or mixed; provided that at all times the commission shall avoid any appearance of impropriety.
(9) To sell, convey, mortgage, pledge, lease, exchange, abandon, or otherwise dispose of any property, whether real, personal, or mixed.
(10) To establish a budget and make expenditures.
(11) To borrow money; provided that the borrowing of money shall not be constituted as a debt of the State of Alabama in violation of Section 213 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended by Amendment 26, now appearing as Section 213 of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.
(12) To appoint committees, including advisory committees comprised of administrators, state nursing regulators, state legislators or their representatives, and consumer representatives, and other interested persons.
(13) To provide and receive information from, and to cooperate with, law enforcement agencies.
(14) To adopt and use an official seal.
(15) To perform other functions as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this compact consistent with the state regulation of nurse licensure and practice.
(h) Financing of the commission.
(1) The commission shall pay, or provide for the payment of, the reasonable expenses of its establishment, organization, and ongoing activities.
(2) The commission may also levy on and collect an annual assessment from each party state to cover the cost of its operations, activities, and staff in its annual budget as approved each year. The aggregate annual assessment amount, if any, shall be allocated based upon a formula to be determined by the commission, which shall adopt a rule that is binding upon all party states.
(3) The commission may not incur obligations of any kind before securing the funds adequate to meet the same; nor shall the commission pledge the credit of any of the party states, except by, and with the authority of, the party state.
(4) The commission shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements. The receipts and disbursements of the commission shall be subject to the audit and accounting procedures established under its bylaws. However, all receipts and disbursements of funds handled by the commission shall be audited yearly by a certified or licensed public accountant, and the report of the audit shall be included in and become part of the annual report of the commission.
(i) Qualified immunity, defense, and indemnification.
(1) In accordance with Section 36-1-12, the administrators, officers, executive director, employees, and representatives of the commission shall be immune from suit and liability.
(2) The commission shall defend any administrator, officer, executive director, employee, or representative of the commission in any civil action seeking to impose liability arising out of any actual or alleged act, error, or omission that occurred within the scope of commission employment, duties, or responsibilities, or that the person against whom the claim is made had a reasonable basis for believing occurred within the scope of commission employment, duties, or responsibilities; provided that nothing in this compact shall be construed to prohibit that person from retaining his or her own counsel; and provided further that the actual or alleged act, error, or omission did not result from his or her intentional, willful, or wanton misconduct.
(3) The commission shall indemnify and hold harmless any administrator, officer, executive director, employee, or representative of the commission for the amount of any settlement or judgment obtained against that person arising out of any actual or alleged act, error, or omission that occurred within the scope of commission employment, duties, or responsibilities, or that the person had a reasonable basis for believing occurred within the scope of commission employment, duties, or responsibilities, provided that the actual or alleged act, error, or omission did not result from the intentional, willful, or wanton misconduct of that person.