(a) Composition; appointment and terms of members. The Board of Physical Therapy shall consist of seven members. Four members shall be physical therapists, two members shall be physical therapist assistants, and one member shall be a consumer. The members shall be appointed by the Governor from a list of five persons nominated for each place on the board by the current licensees and certified to him or her by the board. The four physical therapist members shall be nominated from the congressional districts. The physical therapist assistant members shall be nominated from the northern and southern areas of the state. The consumer member shall be nominated from the state at large. For the purpose of preparing the list of five names for each position on the board, the board shall request nominations from vacant or potentially vacant congressional districts. In the event that five names are not received, the board shall request nominations from the state at large. The board shall conduct an annual meeting at which all physical therapists and physical therapist assistants holding a current license as identified under this article shall have the right to attend, nominate, and vote. The board may regulate and prescribe the date, hour, and place of the meeting, the method of nomination, and the manner of voting. At least 30 days prior to the meeting the board shall mail notices to each current licensee, at the address shown on his or her current registration, notifying him or her of the exact date, hour, and place of the meeting, the purpose of the meeting, and of his or her right to attend and vote. The membership of the board shall be inclusive and reflect the racial, gender, geographic, urban/rural, and economic diversity of the state. Whenever possible, a congressional district shall not be represented by two physical therapists. The board members shall be appointed for staggered terms of five years each, so that at least one member's term expires each year. As each member's term expires, the board shall provide a method of nominating members to the board so that each congressional district in the state is potentially represented on the board whenever possible. No person shall be appointed for more than two consecutive terms.
(b) Qualifications of members. Each physical therapist or physical therapist assistant board member shall possess all the following qualifications:
(1) Be a resident and citizen of this state.
(2) Have practiced physical therapy, or acted as a physical therapist assistant, within the State of Alabama for the three years preceding his or her appointment.
(3) Have no disciplinary action against his or her license for the three years preceding his or her appointment.
(c) Vacancies. In the event of a vacancy within one year of the annual meeting at which the list containing his or her name was compiled, the Governor shall fill the vacancy by selecting another name from the remaining names on the list prepared pursuant to subsection (a). Any vacancy, other than one occurring prior to the next annual meeting after the initial appointment is made, shall be filled by appointment of the Governor from a list of five nominees submitted by the current licensees of the board.
(d) Officers; compensation and expenses of members. The board shall designate one of its members as chair, one as secretary, and one as treasurer. Members of the board shall receive a fee for every day actually spent in the performance of their duties and in addition thereto shall be reimbursed according to the state travel policy for their other expenses in the same amounts and under the same conditions as state employees are reimbursed. The exact amount of the above-mentioned fee shall be fixed by the board.
Last modified: May 3, 2021