Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 257-X-1 — Organization and Administration

257 Alabama Board of Court Reporting

Ala. Admin. Code r. 257-X-1-.01 Meetings Of The Board

(1) The Board shall comply with the Alabama Open Meetings Act.

(2) A minimum of two (2) regular meetings shall be held each year. The annual meeting shall be the first meeting of the calendar year.

(3) Four members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

(4) At its first meeting each calendar year, the board shall elect a Chair, a Vice Chair, and Secretary from its membership. No member shall be elected to serve more than two (2) consecutive years in the same office.

(5) The Chair shall, in accordance with these rules, rule upon all questions of procedure at meetings of the Board. The decision of the Chair shall be final.

(6) All proceedings of the Board shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order, latest revised edition, except during disciplinary hearings and except where otherwise provided in these rules. A majority of those members on the Board present and voting on any matter shall decide that matter before the Board.

(7) Special meetings may be called by the Chair or by a quorum of the Board.

(8) Notice of a meeting shall be given to all Board members at least seven (7) days in advance of the meeting, unless all Board members agree to waive the seven (7)-day notice.

(9) Requests to address the Board during a Board meeting shall be in writing to the Executive Director at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting and shall include the subject matter involved. Such requests shall be subject to review and approval by the Chair, who may grant exceptions to the deadlines and time limitations in extraordinary circumstances. The usual time limitation for presentations will be five (5) minutes. Written requests should include:

(a) Contact information of the designated spokesperson; and summary of information to be presented.

(10) The Executive Director or designee shall keep a record of all regular meetings. The minutes shall be transcribed and presented for approval or amendment at the next regular meeting of the Board. The minutes or a true copy thereof, approved by the Board, shall be open to public inspection.

(11) All regular meetings of the Board shall be open and public except for executive sessions as provided by the Alabama Open Meetings Act.

History

• Author: Alabama Board of Court Reporting
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§34-8B-1 thru 34-8B-18.
• New Rule: Filed April 19, 2007; effective May 24, 2007. Amended: Filed June 19, 2012; effective July 24, 2012. Amended: Filed October 19, 2018; effective December 3, 2018. Amended: Published February 28, 2025; effective April 14, 2025.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 257-X-1-.02 Duties Of The Officers Of The Board

(1) The Chair shall preside at meetings of the Board, appoint members to serve on committees as may be created, serve as ex-officio member of all committees, and determine the agenda of Board meetings.

(2) The Vice Chair shall preside in the absence of the Chair and shall assume the duties of the Chair when necessary.

(3) The Secretary shall preside in the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair and shall assume the duties of the Chair in such instances pending the election of a Chairman Pro Tem.

History

• Author: Alabama Board of Court Reporting
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§34-8B-1 thru 34-8B-18
• New Rule: Filed April 19, 2007; effective May 24, 2007. Amended: Filed June 19, 2012; effective July 24, 2012. Amended: Filed October 19, 2018; effective December 3, 2018.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 257-X-1-.03 Board Member Compensation

(1) Each member of the Board shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for travel expenses incurred in attendance at meetings of the Board and any other business of the Board at its discretion. Mileage rates shall be the same as established for state employees. Board members are also entitled to receive the same per diem provided to state employees, pursuant to Section 36-7-20, et seq., Code of Ala. 1975.

(2) Travel expenses and per diem shall be paid from funds derived from the Alabama Board of Court Reporting Fund. If funds are not available, payment shall not be made.

History

• Author: Alabama Board of Court Reporting
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§34-8B-1 thru 34-8B-18
• New Rule: Filed April 19, 2007; effective May 24, 2007. Amended: Filed June 19, 2012; effective July 24, 2012. Amended: Filed October 19, 2018; effective December 3, 2018.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 257-X-1-.04 Employment Of Personnel

The Board may employ an executive director, investigators, attorneys and any other agents and employees and assistants as may from time-to time be necessary to establish and maintain administration and enforcement of the Court Reporter Practice Act and rules and regulations established by the Board.

History

• Author: Alabama Board of Court Reporting
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§34-8B-1 thru 34-8B-18.
• New Rule: Filed April 19, 2007; effective May 24, 2007. Amended: Filed June 19, 2012; effective July 24, 2012. Amended: Filed October 19, 2018; effective December 3, 2018.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 257-X-1-.05 Use Of Forms

Applications and forms shall be made on the prescribed forms approved by the Board. Copies of instructions and forms are available from the office of the Board and on the Board website.

History

• Author: Alabama Board of Court Reporting
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§34-8B-1 thru 34-8B-18.
• New Rule: Filed April 19, 2007; effective May 24, 2007. Amended: Filed June 19, 2012; effective July 24, 2012.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 257-X-1-.06 Maintenance And Inspection Of Board Records

(1) The Board shall maintain its records, and provide for public disclosure, in accordance with the Alabama Open Records Act.

(2) Upon request to the Executive Director or other agency designee, public records maintained by the Board shall be available for inspection and duplication at the office of the Board during regular business hours. The inspection and duplication of public records shall be under the supervision of the Executive Director or other agency designee.

(3) For purpose of this rule, a request for copies of public records shall be considered a "Standard Request", if it seeks one or more discretely identified public records that the Executive Director or other agency designee determines will take less than eight (8) hours of staff time to process, taking into consideration the need to identify and to redact or take other measures to withhold legally protected action. A Standard Request should require no or minimal clarification by the requestor. A "Time-Intensive Request" is defined as a request that the Executive Director or other agency designee determines will take more than eight (8) hours of staff time to process, taking into consideration the need to obtain clarification of broad or vague requests, and to identify and to redact or take other measures to withhold legally protected action and any time needed to redact or take other measures to withhold legally protected information.

(4) Any person wishing to obtain copies of public records shall submit a written request to the office of the Board using the form provided for this purpose on the public records page of the Board's public web site. "Standard Requests" shall be accompanied by a minimum a fee of $20.00. Should the staff time associated with the response exceed one hour, the requesting party shall pay an additional fee of $20.0 for each additional hour incurred. All requests will be acknowledged within two (2) business days from receipt, at which time the requesting party shall be notified if the request is deemed a Time-Sensitive Request. If practicable, the requestor will be given an estimate of the staff time and related fees associated with a Time-Intensive Request prior to processing, which must be paid prior to production. The requestor will be provided a substantive response fulfilling or denying the request within fifteen (15) business days for Standard Requests, and forty-five (45) days for Time-Intensive Request. These deadlines may be extended in additional fifteen (15) day and forty-five (45) day increments, respectively upon written notice to the requestor.

(5) Records requests fulfilled will be provided via electronic means wherever possible. Where paper copies are required, the agency may charge an additional per-page fee of $.50 per page for copies.

(6) Public records maintained by the Board that are available for inspection and duplication include, but are not limited to:

(a) Names, business addresses, and business telephone numbers of current licensees;

(b) Names of persons whose licenses have been suspended or revoked, including the type, date, infraction, the penalty incurred, and length of the penalty;

(c) Rules and regulations of the Board, as promulgated and published in accordance with the, Sections 41-22-1, et seq., Alabama Administrative Procedures Act, Code of Ala. 1975;

(d) Other written statements of policy or interpretations formulated, adopted, or used by the Board in the discharge of its duties and functions; and

(e) Final orders, decisions, declaratory rulings, and opinions issued by the Board.

(f) Information related to items a-d above may be found on the Board's public web site.

History

• Author: Alabama Board of Court Reporting
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§34-8B-1 thru 34-8B-18.
• New Rule: Filed April 19, 2007; effective May 24, 2007. Amended: Filed June 19, 2012; effective July 24, 2012. Amended: Filed October 19, 2018; effective December 3, 2018. Amended: Filed September 30, 2022; effective November 14, 2022. Amended: Published July 31, 2023; effective September 14, 2023.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 257-X-1-.07 Rules And Regulations

All rules and regulations of the Board shall be adopted, amended, or repealed in accordance with Section 41-22-1, et seq., Alabama Administrative Procedures Act, Code of Ala. 1975.

History

• Author: Alabama Board of Court Reporting
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§34-8B-1 thru 34-8B-18.
• New Rule: Filed April 19, 2007; effective May 24, 2007. Amended: Filed June 19, 2012; effective July 24, 2012. Amended: Filed October 19, 2018; effective December 3, 2018.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 257-X-1-.08 Electronic Documents

(1) In satisfaction of the requirements under these rules, the Board may accept any document submitted in electronic format, containing all required information for the type of filing being made and be formatted in text searchable, PDF format. Any individual PDF file submitted to the Board shall not exceed 15 megabytes. If the total megabyte count of a main PDF document and attached supporting PDF documents in a single filing exceeds 15 megabytes, the supporting documents should be submitted separately and relate back to the main document entry. An electronic filing that is not completed due to being in excess of 15 megabytes shall be deemed not filed and therefore not accepted. Applicants shall preserve a paper original of all filings submitted in electronic form for the duration of any proceedings and related appeals. Electronic filings received by the Board after 5:00 p.m. on any given day will be recorded as received on the following business day.

(2) Any required filing fees must be submitted electronically via the payment portal available through the Board website or via overnight mail or other delivery method, marked inn such a way as to clearly identify the fee with the electronic submission, for delivery to the Board at its mailing address by the following business day.

History

• Author: Alabama Board of Court Reporting
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§34-8B-1 thru 34-8B-18.
• New Rule: Filed October 19, 2018; effective December 3, 2018. Amended: Published February 28, 2025; effective April 14, 2025.