(a) The State Bureau of Investigations is hereby created in the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency. The bureau shall succeed to and be vested with all powers of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. A reference in any law to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation shall be deemed a reference to the State Bureau of Investigations.

(b) The position of Director of the State Bureau of Investigations is created. The director shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency, after consultation with the Governor, and shall hold office at the pleasure of the secretary. The director shall be appointed from a legacy agency as defined in Section 41-27-7. The salary of the director shall be set by the secretary, and shall not be subject to Section 36-6-6. A person appointed director shall have an extensive law enforcement background and, by virtue of office, is a state law enforcement officer with the immunity set forth in Section 6-5-338.

(c) The bureau succeeds to and is vested with all functions of the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center. A reference in any law to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center shall be deemed a reference to a division of the State Bureau of Investigations. The Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center Commission shall be renamed the Alabama Justice Information Commission. The commission shall retain its regulatory and policymaking authority regarding information in the Criminal Justice Information System and uniform crime reports, including its adjudicatory authority for misuse of information, but is divested of any employee selection or supervision responsibility.

(d) The bureau succeeds to and is vested with all investigative functions of the following investigative and enforcement units, and a reference in any law to these investigation and enforcement units shall be deemed a reference to the State Bureau of Investigations:

(1) The law enforcement unit of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

(2) The investigative unit of the Alabama Forestry Commission.

(3) The investigative unit of the Department of Agriculture and Industries.

(e) The Director of the State Bureau of Investigations shall have overall supervision and management of functions transferred to the bureau pursuant to this section, subject to approval by the secretary, including the power to change the working title of any position or to reorganize or rename any of the divisions, units, or functions specified in this section. Any change of working title shall not alter the classification or compensation of any person in the state Merit System.