The membership of the Board of Trustees of the Department of Archives and History would shrink, and members would be appointed anew under a bill pre-filed for the upcoming legislative session.

Senate Bill 5 comes after a summertime conflict between the Department of Archives and History and several lawmakers, including bill sponsor Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, over a lunchtime lecture on the history of LGBT people in the state.

Elliott and others questioned the appropriateness of the event. He said state agencies shouldn’t be talking about anyone’s sexuality or orientation.

Elliott last week told Alabama Daily News the bill came out of lawmakers’ concerns about Archives and History and “the realization that this is one of the very, very, few boards that is set up in this self-perpetuating model” where members can stay on indefinitely and pick their successors.

“When it is time for elected officials to make sure that they explain what the will of the people in the state of Alabama is, these folks have no incentive to listen because they’re their own appointing authority,” Elliott said. “… There needs to be accountability for folks that are making decisions and using taxpayer dollars.”

Currently, the board includes two members from each of the state’s seven congressional districts and vacancies are filled by the board, with Senate confirmation.