SB319 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

J.T. WaggonerSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2011

Title

Class 1 municipalities (Birmingham), racing commission, appointment of members by county legislative delegation, all members to vote, chairs to call meeting, Secs. 11-65-2, 11-65-5 am'd.

Summary

SB319 changes who fills vacancies on racing commissions for Class 1 municipalities by broadening host county delegations and making the delegation chair responsible for calling vacancy meetings.

What This Bill Does

It expands the host county House and Senate delegations to include all members of the respective delegations, rather than only those whose districts are majority in the host county. It requires the chair of the host county House or Senate delegation to call meetings to fill vacancies on the racing commission. The process for appointing members and for filling vacancies remains, with meetings open to the public and time-limited appointment windows; if appointments aren’t made in time, the commission can fill the vacancy by its own majority.

Who It Affects

• Members of the host county House delegation and the host county Senate delegation (and the chairs of those delegations) because they gain authority to convene vacancy meetings and broaden who is eligible to participate in appointment decisions.
• Sponsoring municipality officials (mayor) and host county officials (county commission president) who appoint ex officio or fixed-term members, since vacancy appointment duties shift to delegation chairs and the open-meeting requirements apply to the appointment process.

Key Provisions

• Redefines the host county House delegation and the host county Senate delegation to include all members of the respective delegations, not just those whose districts are entirely or predominantly in the host county.
• Requires the chair of the host county House or Senate delegation to call a meeting to fill a vacancy on the racing commission, replacing the previous role of the mayor in initiating vacancy appointments.
• Maintains open-meeting requirements for delegation meetings and existing appointment timelines, with a provision that if appointments aren’t made within specified timeframes, the commission may fill the vacancy by its majority.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Municipalities