HB61 Alabama 2020 Session

Under existing law, the expenditures of self-sustaining state professional licensing boards, agencies, and commissions are not required to be published on the searchable public Internet database maintained by the Comptroller and contracts for personal and professional services entered into by those boards, agencies, and commissions are not subject to review by the Contract Review Permanent Legislative Oversight Committee

This bill would require previously exempted self-sustaining state professional licensing boards, agencies, and commissions to publish their expenditure information on the public website of the board, agency, or commission

This bill would also subject certain contracts for personal and professional services of self-sustaining state professional licensing boards, agencies, and commissions to review by the Contract Review Permanent Legislative Oversight Committee in the same manner as required for other state agencies

Relating to professional licensing boards, agencies, and commissions; to require each self-sustaining board, agency, or commission exempted from posting expenditures through the searchable public Internet database of the Comptroller, to post the information on the public website of the board, agency, or commission; and to subject personal and professional service contracts of those boards, agencies, and commissions to review by the Contract Review Permanent Legislative Oversight Committee.

Section 1

(a)(1) For the purposes of this section, a licensing board is a state professional licensing board, agency, or commission that is self-sustaining by its own revenues and fees, the expenditures of which are not required to be published on the searchable public Internet database maintained by the Comptroller pursuant to Section 41-4-65, Code of Alabama 1975. (2) The expenditures, including contracts and grants, of each licensing board shall be published on the website of the licensing board within 60 calendar days after the date the expenditure is made. The published expenditures shall be electronically searchable by the public, include the same information, and be subject to the same requirements and restrictions as provided for state entities in Section 41-4-65, Code of Alabama 1975, as applicable. (b) The home page of the website of each licensing board shall include a prominent link to the expenditure information required to be published by this section. (c) Each licensing board may adopt rules to implement and administer this section.

Section 2

Each contract for personal or professional services, as defined in Section 29-2-41.2, Code of Alabama 1975, entered into by a state professional licensing board, agency, or commission that is self-sustaining by its own revenues and fees, shall be reviewed by the Contract Review Permanent Legislative Oversight Committee in the same manner as the personal and professional services contracts of state departments are reviewed by the committee pursuant to Article 3, commencing with Section 29-2-40, Chapter 2, Title 29, Code of Alabama 1975.

Section 3

This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.