HB242 Alabama 2010 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Spencer Collier

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2010

Title

Insurance Commissioner, elected on statewide basis, term, compensation, const. amend.

Summary

HB242 would move the Insurance Commissioner from a governor-appointed role to a statewide elected constitutional officer serving six years with a district-judge salary, starting with the 2014 elections.

What This Bill Does

It changes the Insurance Commissioner to be elected by voters statewide, like other constitutional officers. The elected commissioner would have a six-year term and be sworn in January 2015. The salary would be set at the same level as the annual district judge salary, and the current governor-appointed commissioner’s term would end in January 2015; existing law would apply except where overridden by this amendment.

Who It Affects

• Voters in Alabama, who will elect the Insurance Commissioner statewide beginning with the 2014 elections.
• The Office of the Insurance Commissioner and the Department of Insurance, which would shift from an appointed position to an elected constitutional officer, with the new six-year term and district judge–level salary.

Key Provisions

• Starting with the 2014 primary and general elections, the Commissioner of the Department of Insurance becomes a statewide elected constitutional officer.
• The elected Commissioner will serve a six-year term and be sworn into office in January 2015.
• The annual salary of the elected Commissioner will be the same as the district judge's salary.
• The term of the governor-appointed Commissioner who would have been elected in 2014 ends in January 2015, and the conversion to an elected office takes effect accordingly.
• Provisions of Title 17 of the Code that apply to an appointed Commissioner remain applicable to the elected Commissioner except where this amendment overrides conflicting provisions.
• The amendment may be implemented and supplemented by general law.
• The election process will follow Sections 284 and 285 of the Alabama Constitution and related election laws, with ballot language describing the amendment.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Constitutional Amendments