The following words and phrases, as used in this article, shall have the following meanings:

(1) AUTHORIZING ACT. Any of the following statutes or acts:

a. Any of the following sections, as amended: Section 11-20-1 et seq., relating to industrial revenue bonds to be issued by counties; Section 11-54-20 et seq., relating to industrial revenue bonds to be issued by municipalities; Section 11-54-80 et seq., relating to industrial revenue bonds to be issued by municipal industrial development boards; Section 11-58-1 et seq., relating to industrial revenue bonds to be issued by municipal medical clinic boards, Section 22-21-170 et seq., relating to industrial revenue bonds to be issued by county and municipal hospital authorities; and Section 11-20-30 et seq., relating to industrial revenue bonds to be issued by county industrial development boards.

b. The following acts of the Alabama Legislature: Act No. 4, enacted at the 1956 Second Special Session of the Alabama Legislature (1956 Acts, p. 240 et seq.), relating to industrial revenue bonds to be issued by certain municipalities to finance hotel and motel projects and Act No. 337, enacted at the 1971 Third Extra Session of the Alabama Legislature (1971 Acts, p. 4625 et seq.), relating to industrial revenue bonds to be issued by certain municipalities to finance hotel and motel projects.

(2) COMMISSION. The Alabama Securities Commission existing under Article 2 (commencing with Section 8-6-50) of Chapter 6 of Title 8.

(3) DIRECTOR. The director appointed by the commission pursuant to Section 8-6-55 or, in the absence of the director or his or her inability to act, the deputy director appointed by the director as provided in Section 8-6-57.

(4) GOVERNING BODY. The county commission, council, board of commissioners, board of directors, or other governing body of any issuer.

(5) GUARANTOR. The guarantor of the performance by the lessee of its obligations under a lease or the guarantor of any industrial revenue bonds.

(6) IMPROVIDENT. With respect to any industrial revenue bonds the term means that there is a reasonable probability that the bonds will be deficient in one or more of the following respects:

a. The project may not be completed.

b. The principal of or interest on the industrial revenue bonds will not be paid when due.

c. The industrial revenue bonds may be sold or distributed by the parties or in a manner as to constitute a fraud on one or more purchasers of the bonds.

(7) INDUSTRIAL REVENUE BONDS. The bonds, warrants, notes, certificates of indebtedness, or other obligations issued by any issuer under the authority of the authorizing act to finance or refinance a project or to refund bonds, but does not include either of the following:

a. Any obligation unless the lessee is a lessee as defined in this section.

b. Any issue of bonds, warrants, notes, certificates of indebtedness, or other obligations, any of which has a stated maturity not more than 18 months from the date of its issuance and evidences a loan initially made by a bank to the issuer of the bonds, warrants, notes, certificates of indebtedness, or other obligations.

(8) ISSUER. Any county, city, town, municipality, or public corporation issuing industrial revenue bonds under the authorizing act.

(9) JUDICIAL VALIDATION. The procedure described in Section 8-6-119 by which industrial revenue bonds may be validated and culminating in a decree of the circuit court validating the bonds.

(10) LEASE. The lease, installment purchase, or other agreement by which the lessee obtains the right to use the project and agrees to make payments sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the industrial revenue bonds issued to finance or refinance the project.

(11) LESSEE. The lessee, purchaser, or user of a project under the lease. The term does not include the State of Alabama, any county, any city, town, or municipality, any public corporation or any nonprofit corporation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, or educational purposes, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private share holder, member, or individual.

(12) NOTIFICATION. The instrument or the procedure, or both, by which an issuer is required by this article to notify the director prior to the proposed issuance of industrial revenue bonds.

(13) PROJECT. Any land, plant, building, facilities, equipment, or other property proposed to be acquired with the proceeds of any industrial revenue bonds to be used by a lessee under a lease.

(14) SERVED UPON THE ISSUER. As applied to a stop order, notice of a reference to the commission, or of a hearing before the commission, the term means that it has been deposited in the United States mail in a sealed envelope with first class, certified postage prepaid, properly addressed to the issuer at the address shown in the notification, or delivered to the person who signed the notification on behalf of the issuer.

(15) STOP ORDER. An order issued by the director or by the commission in accordance with this article prohibiting the issuer from issuing the industrial revenue bonds described in the notification or any bonds in lieu of those bonds.