HB553 Summary

• Amends Alabama Real Estate Commission laws to allow live virtual online education courses for prelicense, postlicense, and continuing education with same certification requirements as in-person courses.

• Revises commission member appointment process by requiring nominations from the Alabama Association of Realtors instead of the previous Professional Real Estate Society, and changes member terms from five years to four years.

• Prohibits the commission from engaging in political activity, hiring lobbyists, or using public resources for political speech; requires posting names of financial institutions holding commission funds on the website.

• Declares licenses inactive when licensees submit faulty payment forms declined by financial institutions until full payment and penalty fees are submitted.

• Repeals Sections 34-27-5 and 34-27-8.1 regarding county lists of licensees and legislative findings on rulemaking authority; becomes effective on the first day of the third month following passage.