Significant New State Laws Become Effective A Week From Today

October 1st is the beginning of the new fiscal year and that means a number of new laws passed in the 2026 session of the Alabama Legislature this past spring will go into effect. The Alabama Constitution requires any bill passed by the Legislature to become law three months after the Legislature adjourns, unless the bill specifies a different effective date.

This past session, lawmakers filed 1,046 bills, which was an 8% increase from the 968 introduced in 2025. Of those, 666 bills were filed in the House and 380 in the Senate. A total of 402 bills passed both chambers and were sent to Governor Ivey for her signature into law. Another 158 bills passed out of one chamber but did not reach final passage.

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A check of the Alabama Legislature's website finds at least eight significant legislative bills that will become law at midnight on the first. They are:

1. A ban on nondisclosure agreements (NDA) related to sexual abuse (“Trey’s Law”) — Applies to agreements entered into on or after Oct. 1. Trey's Law makes it illegal for anyone to use confidentiality contracts to silence victims. It is named after a victim whose case highlighted how NDAs were being used to silence victims of sexual abuse. His advocacy pushed lawmakers to close this loophole.
2. Beau’s Law — Establishes minimum care standards for outdoor dogs. The new animal‑welfare law that sets minimum care standards for outdoor dogs such as requiring adequate shelter, continuous access to clean water, safe and sanitary living conditions, protection during severe weather and prohibits leaving dogs tethered in unsafe or inhumane ways.
3. Child Predator Death Penalty Act — Elevates certain sexual crimes against children to the level of capital offenses.
4. Devinee Rooney & John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act — The law is named for Devinee Rooney (18) and John Wesley Holt (19), two Mobile County residents whose deaths exposed major flaws in Alabama’s criminal code. It renames and strengthens Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and hit‑and‑run penalties. It is designed to crack down on drivers whose actions seriously injure or kill others. Key provisions include: Tougher penalties for hit‑and‑run drivers, stronger DUI consequences, new mandatory minimums, and removing judicial discretion for the most severe cases.
5. Highway Safety and Fairness Act — Adds new commercial driver requirements. The act strengthens commercial driver regulations, increases penalties for unsafe trucking practices, and updates several rules affecting Commercial Drivers License (CDL) holders and motor carriers.
6. Military Veteran Temporary Teaching Certificate program — Creates a fast‑track pathway for U.S. military veterans to become classroom teachers, even if they have not yet completed a traditional teacher‑preparation program.
7. Act 2026‑263 — Changes reporting rules for towed/abandoned, and impounded vehicles, mainly focusing on how towing companies and law enforcement must report and document these vehicles.
8. Act 2026‑381 — Creates a new blackout‑style specialty license plate honoring and supporting law‑enforcement families.

At least 30 new Alabama laws went into effect prior to the new fiscal year. The more prominent ones involved:

• Consumer data privacy
• Tenant rights
• Water‑quality standards
• Firearms background checks
• Telehealth reimbursement
• Paid family leave
• Curriculum transparency

The beginning of the 2027 legislative session is February 2nd and adjournment is on May 13, 2027. The session begins later than normal next year due to Inauguration Day at the State Capitol on January 20th.