(a) There is created an Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling, to consist of seven members who shall be citizens of this state and appointed by the Governor pursuant to the requirements of this section.

(b) Within 30 days from July 18, 1979, the Executive Committee of the Alabama Counseling Association, or its successor organization, shall submit to the Governor a list of qualified candidates for the board. The list shall contain names of at least four citizens from the general public, four qualified counselor educators, and six qualified practicing counselors from which the Governor, within 60 days, shall select the board. The board shall consist of two citizens from the general public, two counselor educators, and three counselors in private practice.

(c) The initial appointments to the board shall be for the following terms: The term of two members is one year, the term of two members is two years, the term of three members is three years.

(d) The professional membership of the board authorized under this section shall be licensed under this chapter, except that the initial professional members shall be members who have been rendering the private practice of counseling services for at least one year, or who have been giving instruction in counseling in a regionally accredited institution of higher learning for at least three years.

(e) The board shall perform those duties and exercise those powers as this chapter prescribes and confers upon it. No member of the board shall be liable to civil action for any act performed in good faith for the performance of his or her duty pursuant to this chapter.

(f) Board members shall be ineligible for reappointment for a period of three years following completion of their terms. Subsequent appointments to the board shall be made by the Governor in the following manner: Not later than October 1, of each year the Executive Committee of the Alabama Counseling Association, or its successor organization, shall submit to the Governor the names of two qualified candidates for the position on the board to be vacated by reason of expiration of term of office. From the two candidates the Governor shall appoint one member not later than January 1, to serve on the board for a term of five years. Every reasonable effort shall be made to insure that one member of the board be a member of a cultural minority. Each board member shall hold office until his or her successor is appointed and assumes office. If the Governor fails to make an appointment by January 1 for a successor to a member whose term has expired, the Executive Committee of the Alabama Counseling Association, or its successor organization, shall select a successor member from among the two qualified candidates nominated to fill the vacancy. Other vacancies occurring in the board shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment of the Governor from two candidates for each vacancy submitted within 30 days after the vacancy occurs by the Executive Committee of the Alabama Counseling Association, or its successor organization. The appointments shall be made within 45 days after the names of the candidates have been submitted. If the Governor fails to make the appointment within the 45-day period, the Executive Committee of the Alabama Counseling Association, or its successor organization, shall select a replacement member from among the two qualified candidates nominated to fill the unexpired term of a board member. Any board members may be removed by the Governor, after notice and hearing, for incompetence, neglect of duty, malfeasance in office, or moral turpitude. Composition of the board shall always consist of two citizens, two counselor educators, and three counselors in private practice. The membership of the board shall be inclusive and reflect the racial, gender, geographic, urban/rural, and economic diversity of the state. After March 26, 2012, appointments shall be made so that not more than one board member from any congressional district may be appointed to serve at the same time. A college or university shall have only one counselor educator representative as a member of the board at any one time. In addition, no more than one practitioner from the same practice setting or corporation shall be members of the board at any one time.

(g) Immediately and before entering public duties of the office, the members of the board shall take the constitutional oath of office and shall file the oath of office in the office of the Governor, who upon receiving the oath of office shall issue to each member a certificate of appointment. The board shall have available for the Governor or his or her representative detailed reports on proceedings and shall make annual reports in the form as required by the Governor.

(h) The Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling is subject to the provisions of the Alabama Sunset Law of 1981, and is classified as an enumerated agency pursuant to Section 41-20-3. The board shall automatically terminate on October 1, 2000, and every four years thereafter, unless a bill is passed that it be continued, modified, or reestablished.