(a) The following words and phrases used in this article, and others evidently intended as the equivalent thereof, shall, in the absence of clear implication herein otherwise, be given the following respective interpretations herein:

(1) APPLICANT. A natural person who files a written application with the governing body of a county, municipality, or educational institution, or two or more thereof, in accordance with the provisions of Section 22-21-313.

(2) AUTHORITY. A public corporation organized, and any public hospital corporation reincorporated, pursuant to the provisions hereof.

(3) AUTHORIZING RESOLUTION. The resolution adopted by the governing body of an authorizing subdivision, in accordance with the provisions of Section 22-21-313 or Section 22-21-341, that authorizes the incorporation of an authority or the reincorporation of a public hospital corporation.

(4) AUTHORIZING SUBDIVISION. Each county, municipality, and educational institution with the governing body of which an application for the incorporation of an authority hereunder or for the reincorporation of a public hospital corporation hereunder is filed.

(5) BOARD. The board of directors of an authority.

(6) CODE. The Code of Alabama 1975 and all amendments thereto and, with respect to any particular title, chapter, article, division, section or other portion thereof, any act of the Legislature or other code preceding such portion of the code or subsequently replacing the same.

(7) COUNTY. Any county in the state.

(8) COUPON. Any interest coupon evidencing an installment of interest payable with respect to a security.

(9) DIRECTOR. A member of a board.

(10) EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION. A public college or university established under the Constitution of Alabama or act of the Alabama Legislature that operates a school of medicine.

(11) FEDERAL SECURITIES. Debt securities that are direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged, or debt securities issued by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the United States of America, the payment of the principal of and interest on which is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the United States of America.

(12) FISCAL YEAR. A fiscal year of the authorizing subdivision.

(13) GOVERNING BODY. With respect to a county, its county commission or other like governing body, with respect to a municipality, its city or town council, board of commissioners or other like governing body, and with respect to an educational institution, its board of trustees, or other like governing body.

(14) HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. Generally, any one or more buildings or facilities which serve to promote the public health, either by providing places or facilities for the diagnosis, treatment, care, cure or convalescence of sick, injured, physically disabled or handicapped, mentally ill, retarded or disturbed persons, or for the prevention of sickness and disease, or for the care, treatment and rehabilitation of alcoholics, or for the care of elderly persons, or for research with respect to any of the foregoing, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing:

a. Public hospitals of all types, public clinics, sanitoria, public health centers and related public health facilities, such as medical or dental facilities, laboratories, out-patient departments, educational facilities, nurses' homes and nurses' training facilities, dormitories or residences for hospital personnel or students, other employee-related facilities, central service facilities operated in connection with public hospitals and other facilities (such as, for example, gift and flower shops, cafe and cafeteria facilities and the like) ancillary to public hospitals;

b. Retirement homes, nursing homes, convalescent homes, apartment buildings, dormitory or domiciliary facilities, residences or special care facilities for the housing and care of elderly persons or other persons requiring special care;

c. Appurtenant buildings and other facilities:

1. To provide offices for persons engaged in the diagnosis, treatment, care, or cure of diseased, sick or injured persons, or in preventive medicine, or in the practice of dentistry; or

2. To house or service equipment used for the diagnosis, treatment, care or cure of diseased, sick, or injured persons, or in preventive medicine, or in the practice of dentistry, or the records of such diagnosis, treatment, care, cure or practice or research with respect to any of the foregoing;

d. Parking areas, parking decks, facilities, buildings and structures appurtenant to any of the foregoing;

e. Ambulance, helicopter, and other similar facilities and services for the transportation of sick or injured persons; and

f. Machinery, equipment, furniture, and fixtures useful or desirable in the operation of any of the foregoing.

(15) HOSPITAL TAX. Any tax which may be levied for the benefit of an authority or any health care facilities owned or operated by it or the proceeds of which may have been appropriated, allocated or apportioned to such authority, or to or for the benefit of any such health care facilities, by the Legislature or by the governing body of a county or municipality.

(16) INCORPORATORS. The natural persons forming an authority pursuant to the provisions of this article.

(17) INDENTURE. A mortgage, mortgage indenture, mortgage and trust indenture or trust indenture executed by an authority as security for any of its securities.

(18) LEGISLATURE. The Legislature of the state.

(19) MUNICIPALITY. An incorporated city or town of the state.

(20) PRINCIPAL OFFICE. The place at which the certificate of incorporation of an authority and amendments thereto, the bylaws and the minutes of the proceedings of the board are kept.

(21) PUBLIC HOSPITAL CORPORATION. Any public authority, public corporation or public association or entity organized on a local or regional basis by or with the consent of any county or municipality (or any two or more thereof) and having the power to own or operate any health care facilities, including (without limitation) any public corporation or authority heretofore or hereafter organized under the provisions of Article 3, Division 1 of Article 4, Article 5, or Article 6 of this chapter, Section 22-21-5, or Chapter 95 of Title 11, but excluding the state, any state institution of higher learning owning or operating health care facilities or any other state (as distinguished from local or regional) agency owning or operating health care facilities.

(22) SECURITIES. Bonds, notes, warrants, certificates of indebtedness or other evidences of indebtedness, including (without limiting the generality of the foregoing) notes issued in anticipation of the sale of any of the foregoing.

(23) STATE. The State of Alabama.

(b) The terms "herein," "hereby," "hereunder," "hereof," and other equivalent words refer to this article as an entirety and not solely to the particular section or portion hereof in which any such word is used. The definitions set forth herein shall be deemed applicable whether the words defined are used in the singular or plural. Whenever used herein any pronoun or pronouns shall be deemed to include both singular and plural and to cover all genders.