Budgets Highlight This Week’s Legislative Work

With the Alabama Legislature's 2026 session rapidly running out of meeting days, both houses are working on the budgets. The Alabama Senate has done their job and approved a $3.7 billion General Fund budget unanimously and sent it to the house. In the lower chamber the House approved a $10.4 billion Education Trust Fund budget for fiscal year 2027 that largely reflects Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposed budget in her State of the State Address earlier this year. It is headed to the Senate.

What else passed in the Alabama Legislature this week? (NOTE: Only legislation that applies statewide or is sponsored by a West Alabama lawmaker is listed)

The House

House Bill 60, Requires a court to continue a case when certain parties aren’t present due to service with the National Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and in those case, requires courts to set bail in when requested by the defendant and allows the court to set bail for defendants accused of committing certain crimes that aren’t capital offences. The bill passed 105-0. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 77, Requires a tax assessing official to issue tentative certificates of permanent and total disability to disabled veterans with a 100 percent disability rating upon the submission of certain information and prohibits settlement agents, and loan closing officers to consider ad valorem taxes for homesteads when calculating these veterans’ debt-to-income ratio upon receiving a tentative certificate. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 102, Allows surviving spouses of deceased veterans with “Disabled Veteran” license plates to be issued “Disabled Veteran Spouse” license plates. The bill passed 103-0. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 104, Authorizes the state treasurer to take custody and order the liquidation of abandoned digital assets and establish guidelines for the disposal of those assets. The bill passed 35-0 with two amendments. It goes back to the House for concurrence or conference committee.

House B 106, Further defines doxing and increases the penalty for doxing law enforcement officers, first responders or public servants. The bill passed 105-0. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 110, Requires the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to offer residents the option to have a digital driver license or nondriver identification card alongside a physical copy of the cards. The bill passed 35-0 with an amendment. It goes back to the House for concurrence or conference committee.

House Bill 122, Changes the TEAMS Act to offer a teacher with 20 years of experience a contract of up to five years. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 124, Changes the name of the Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program (AMSTEP) to the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama (LASEA) Program and expands eligibility for loan forgiveness for educators. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 125, Decreases the age of an adult learner in the Alabama Reengage Program from 25 to 22 years old. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 138, sponsored by Rep. Kenneth Paschal, R-Pelham, allows any individual retired under the Employees’ Retirement System or the Teachers’ Retirement System to work as a full-time bus driver. The bill passed 105-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 189, Requires juvenile courts to notify local school superintendents if a student is charged or convicted of rape, sodomy or murder. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 227, Authorizes the Administrative Office of the Courts to establish a nonprofit and use and collect nonpublic funds; to hold nonpublic funds in accounts outside the State Treasury, and transfer state funds to the nonprofit for judicial education. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 233, Authorizes tuition assistance for workforce development through the National Guard Education Assistance Program. The bill passed 105-0. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 235, Makes supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending in September from the Education Trust Fund to different agencies totaling $419 million and from gross income tax receipts from the CHOOSE Act Fund to the Alabama Department of Revenue for $100 million. The bill passed 105-0. It goes to the Senate.

House Bill 236, Makes supplemental appropriations from the Education Trust Fund Advancement and Technology Fund for $1 billion for the fiscal year ending in September. The bill passed 105-0. It goes to the Senate.

House Bill 237, Transfers $399 million from the Educational Opportunities Reserve Fund for the fiscal year ending in September to the Renewing Alabama’s Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Fund and makes appropriations from the Educational Opportunities Reserve Fund to various higher education institutions totaling $101 million. The bill passed 104-0. It goes to the Senate.

House Bill 238, Is the Education Trust Fund budget, making appropriations for the support, maintenance and development of public education in Alabama, for debt service, and for capital outlay for the fiscal year ending September 2027. The bill passed 104-0 with one abstention. It goes to the Senate.

House Bill 239, Increases the salaries of public education employees by 2%, effective Oct. 1. The bill passed 104-0. It goes to the Senate.

House Bill 259, Authorizes the Alabama Securities Commission to license Stablecoin issuers beginning in 2028. The bill passed 97-1. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 332, Would require the Alabama Department of Human Resources to create an anaphylactic response policy and train all licensed day care centers on its implementation. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 362, Further provides for the responsibilities of certain Legal Services Office positions within the Alabama National Guard. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 398, Sponsored by Tuscaloosa Rep. Bill Lamb (R-62), exempts High Socks for Hope from paying state sales and use tax and allows municipalities and counties to exempt the entity from local sales and use taxes. The bill passed 103-0. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 399, Limits abatements for data center processing projects worth more than $200 million to 20 years, with the abatement expiring for data processing centers that are 100 megawatts or greater when the industrial property is put into service. The bill passed 103-0. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 415, Applies additional requirements on captive insurers; increases the minimum in capital to certain captive insurers; requires notice of any subsequent materials for items required to be submitted; requires the commissioner to take the business plan, manager and legal counsel of the captive insurer into consideration and requires captive insurers to file an audited financial statement and actuarial certification annually. The bill passed 101-2. It moves to the Senate.

House B 429, Prohibits the flying of Drones near a ticketed entertainment event with exemptions for middle and high school sports events. The bill passed 34-1 with an amendment. The House later concurred 97-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 466, Adds Parkinson’s Disease to the list of firefighter’s occupational diseases and further provides for disability and death benefits for firefighters. The bill passed 105-0. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 468, Allows municipal officials to serve on a municipal planning commission in municipalities with less than 7,500 residents or a county water, sewer or fire protection authority, and allows a municipal and county officer to serve on a solid waste disposal or authority if the officer doesn’t serve on the governing or appointing authority. The bill passed 104-0. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 511, Requires schools to recite the pledge of allegiance and allow students to lead and initiate prayer. The bill passed 94-4. It moves to the Senate.

House Bill 532, Authorizes the county commission in Shelby County to allow the sale of commodities created by solid waste and disposal, requires contracts for the commodities to be competitively bid and requires proceeds from the sales to be deposited into the Shelby County General Fund. The bill passed 29-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

House Bill 565, Enacts the College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Act to establish a program to provide bonus funding to higher education institutions that meet identified student and institution performance goals and objectives. The bill passed 105-0. It goes to the Senate.

The Senate

Senate Bill 8, Sponsored by Tuscaloosa County Sen. Gerald Allen (R-21), allows the director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency to use public funds to purchase promotional and educational materials for the agency. The bill passed 105-0. It goes to Ivey.

Senate Bill 47, Would allow certain child support court orders to retroactively apply to the time of conception. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 107 Allows the Alabama Board of Funeral Services to charge an administrative fee on funeral homes for each funeral arranged. The bill passed 22-5. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 143, Removes a sunset clause on supplemental privilege assessment, secondary supplemental assessments and surcharges for beds in nursing facilities. The bill passed 33-1. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 144, Removes a sunset clause for a quarterly assessment payment for emergency medical transport providers, and makes the quarterly payment for Medicaid maintenance permanent. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 145, Removes a sunset clause for private hospitals that pay a provider privilege tax to the Alabama Medicaid Agency and makes the tax permanent. The bill passed 33-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 146, Appropriates $3.7 billion for state agencies in the state General Fund budget for fiscal year 2027. The bill passed 33-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 152, Allows for other revenue sources to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 153, Appropriated $36.6 million to the Children First Trust Fund for fiscal year 2027. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 154, Provided a 2% cost of living raise to all state employees, which will be distributed to employees on the first pay day on or after Oct. 1, if passed into law. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 162, Appropriates $169,000 to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence for fiscal year 2027 and requires an annual audit from the coalition for funding to be released. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 170, Protects health savings accounts (HSAs) from any state benefit mandate or federal copay adjustment, regulation or guidance in relation to high-deductible health insurance plans. The bill passed 105-0. It goes to Ivey.

Senate Bill 199, Restricts an adult sex offender where the victim was a child from access to a post office box and the Internet. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 211, Sponsored by Tuscaloosa Sen. Gerald Allen (R-21), requires the State Board of Education to adopt a policy allowing public education employees to save up sick leave time and donate sick leave to other public education employees. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 226, Appropriates $836 million in supplemental funds for the rest of fiscal year 2026 for state agencies. The bill passed 30-3. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 231, Provides for security from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency at the new Alabama Statehouse, its parking deck and adjacent park. The Senate concurred 30-0 with a House amendment. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

Senate Bill 237, Sponsored by Senate Minority Leader and Greensboro Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-24), allows higher education institutions to not be restricted by state ethics laws that may limit certain research and development activities. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 255, Allows tax exempt organizations that do not pay ad valorem taxes to bring a quiet title action, which usually requires proof of payment of ad valorem taxes. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 265, Limits the maximum exemption period for abatements available to data centers that come to Alabama to 20 years, and requires data centers to pay state sales and use taxes on certain purchases. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 270, Would ensure that data centers pay for the additional electricity that the data center would use as part of its operations. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 277, Authorizes the formation and operation of decentralized unincorporated nonprofit associations as a subtype of unincorporated nonprofit associations, allows them to use distributed ledger technology and smart contracts for its governance and operation and permits them to acquire and maintain property and make a profit. The bill passed 82-7 with 16 abstentions. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.

Senate Bill 280, Allows members of the Teachers’ Retirement System and Employees’ Retirement System to buy retirement service credit for time they previously worked in federal public service. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 326, Authorizes the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to adopt rules regulating the anchoring and rafting of water vessels. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 332, Adds Parkinson’s disease to the list of firefighter’s occupational diseases and allows firefighters to receive disability benefits if the disease was caused by the occupation. The bill passed 35-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 333, Allows any industrial development board in a Class 2 municipality to manage any loans, grants or leases for development projects. The bill passed 32-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 334, Sponsored by Bibb/Chilton/Shelby counties Sen. April Weaver (R-14), authorizes the county commission in Shelby County to allow the sale of commodities created by solid waste and disposal, requires contracts for the commodities to be competitively bid and requires proceeds from the sales to be deposited into the Shelby County General Fund. The bill passed 33-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 337, Requires the Department of Conservation and Natural Resource to issue a deed to certain school lands upon request of a local board of education. The bill passed 30-1. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 360, Changes the structure of the Public Service Commission from a president and two commissioners to seven members, one from each of the state’s seven congressional districts. The bill passed 32-0. It goes to the House.

Senate Bill 361, Makes it a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 3 months in jail, to wrongfully tether a dog to a stationary object. The bill passed 28-1. It goes to the House.

The 23rd day of the 2026 session begins at 1:30pm Tuesday in the house followed by the senate convening at 2:30pm that day.