The Alabama Legislature convened for three legislative days this past week, passing the halfway point and completing 17 days of the 2026 Regular Session. Lawmakers will return on Tuesday to begin their 18th legislative day, out of a maximum of 30.
Career and Technical Education Package Unveiled
Alabama lawmakers unveiled a coordinated three-bill package on Thursday aimed at expanding career and technical education programs statewide. The initiative addresses workforce training needs, instructor shortages, and student access to high-demand career pathways.
$150 Million Funding Request
House Joint Resolution – Representative Frances Holk-Jones
Representative Frances Holk-Jones, R-Foley, sponsored a House Joint Resolution calling on the Legislature to appropriate an additional $150 million for career and technical education.
Background: The funding request builds on the Legislature’s 2025 approval of $100 million from the Advancement and Technology Fund for matching grants to local school districts to develop regional career technical centers. That initial investment generated overwhelming interest from school systems statewide.
TRAIN Act – Industry-to-Classroom Tax Credits
HB517 – Representative James Lomax
House Majority Whip James Lomax, R-Huntsville, sponsored the Talent Readiness and Industry Needs (TRAIN) Act, which creates a mechanism to bring experienced industry professionals directly into CTE classrooms.
Key Provisions:
- Employer Tax Credits: Creates up to $10 million in annual income tax credits to incentivize employers to temporarily loan qualified employees to teach CTE courses at Alabama community colleges and public high schools. Credits would offset a portion of the salary employers continue paying employees during their teaching assignments, with a cap of $250,000 per employer.
- Credit Timeline: Tax credits would be available beginning in the 2027 tax year.
- Workforce Teaching Certificate: Establishes a new credential enabling skilled professionals to provide classroom instruction after completing targeted training and background checks, without requiring traditional teacher certification.
- Eligible Institutions: Alabama community colleges and public high schools.
Expedited CTE Teacher Certification
HB520 – Representative Marcus Paramore
Representative Marcus Paramore, R-Troy, sponsored the CTE Teacher Certification Act, which creates an expedited certification pathway for experienced teachers relocating to Alabama.
Key Provisions:
- Eligibility Requirements: Applicants must hold a valid teaching certificate from another state, demonstrate four years of full-time teaching experience, hold a bachelor’s degree, and pass a criminal background check.
- Streamlined Process: Removes barriers for qualified out-of-state CTE teachers to quickly begin teaching in Alabama public high schools.
- Effective Date: June 1, 2026.
Gudger: Public Service Commission Appointment Bill Won’t Move This Session
Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger announced this week that pending legislation to remake the Alabama Public Service Commission as an appointed body, rather than an elected body, will not receive a vote this year.
Background: In a statement, Senator Gudger said the public did not have enough time or information to understand why the changes were needed. Senator Gudger acknowledged that growing electricity bills are placing a burden on families and businesses and stated the Alabama Legislature will continue to study how to address such costs.
Opioid Settlement Funding Bill Passes House Unanimously
HB487 – Representative Rex Reynolds
The House unanimously passed Representative Rex Reynolds’ supplemental appropriation bill on Tuesday to fund various programs from the Opioid Treatment and Abatement Fund, which resulted from settlements with various entities and manufacturers of opioid drugs after states, including Alabama, filed suit.
Key Appropriations (Total: $43.1 million):
- $26.3 million to the Department of Mental Health for the purchase of Naloxone, 988 Crisis Line operations, prevention, treatment and recovery grants, and civil commitment beds
- $3 million to the Administrative Office of Courts for Specialty Courts
- $2.1 million to be allocated equally among each Alabama District Attorney district
- $1.9 million to Auburn University for the expansion of the K-12 Opioid Prevention Program
- $2 million to UAB for the Psychiatry Residency Program
Status: Passed the House unanimously; pending in the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee.
Professional Licensing Consolidation Bill Passes Senate
SB227 – Senator Chris Elliott
After filing bills over multiple recent legislative sessions addressing the growing administrative complexity of managing Alabama’s numerous professional licensing boards, Senator Chris Elliott’s latest attempt, SB227, passed the Senate this week.
Key Provisions:
- Current Law: Individual boards, such as the Board for General Contractors, Board of Nursing, and Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, each have their own regulatory functions with an executive director and administrative support. Many smaller boards have outsourced their administrative functions to private companies.
- Proposed Changes: The bill empowers the Alabama Sunset Committee, which reviews various boards every few years for recommended changes, to recommend the transfer of a board to the Office of Occupational and Professional Licensing within the Alabama Department of Workforce to serve as a centralized entity providing oversight for board operations. The Legislature would then have to confirm such findings through subsequent legislation to ultimately transfer the board.
- Process: This creates a two-step process requiring both Sunset Committee recommendation and legislative confirmation before any board is transferred.
Status: Passed the Senate by a vote of 28-4 on Tuesday; pending in the House County and Municipal Government Committee.
Montgomery Police Staffing Bill Advances in Senate Committee
SB298 – Senator Will Barfoot
Legislation requiring the Montgomery Police Department to increase its number of officers or face potential state operational assistance advanced in the Senate County and Municipal Government Committee on Tuesday, February 25, following heated debate.
Key Provisions:
- Staffing Requirement: Requires law enforcement agencies in Class 3 municipalities to employ at least two full-time officers for every 1,000 residents within five years of the bill’s effective date.
- Affected Municipalities: Only Huntsville and Montgomery qualify as Class 3 municipalities under Alabama law, though legislative focus has centered primarily on Montgomery.
- Montgomery Impact: The bill would require approximately 400 officers for the Montgomery Police Department to meet the staffing standard.
- Progress Benchmarks: Non-compliant agencies must demonstrate improvements of more than 10% of their staffing deficit per year during the five-year grace period.
- State Assistance Provisions: If the staffing requirement is not met within five years, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) could assume operational oversight of the department. This assistance would continue until one year after the municipality becomes compliant with the staffing requirement.
- Assistance Components: ALEA’s operational support could include creating a staffing improvement plan, deploying supplemental officers or resources, or entering into agreements with other law enforcement entities to provide assistance.
Port Infrastructure Grant Program Advances
HB135 – Representative Chip Brown
Representative Chip Brown’s bill to create the Alabama Port Infrastructure Grant Program and Alabama Port Infrastructure Fund cleared the House this week. The bill reforms prior grant programs and modifies how grants are awarded to applicants seeking to improve their infrastructure or intermodal facilities, and dredging-related activities.
Key Provisions:
- Increased Funding: The bill increases annual funding from $2 million to $5 million through 2028 for the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to administer the program.
- Grant Limits: Any grant is limited to 50% of the total budgeted project costs, and no grantee may receive more than 20% of the total grant funds awarded in a single fiscal year. Indirect and administrative costs are capped at 10% of the grant amount.
- Eligible Ports: Funds may be awarded to public ports in coastal areas and the Port of Mobile, in addition to all inland ports spread throughout the state.
- Local Match Required: Projects must provide at least a 20% match; state funding cannot exceed 50% of total project cost.
Status: Passed the House unanimously on Thursday; pending in the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee.
School Grading System Reform Sparks Debate
HB396 – Representative Terri Collins
Representative Terri Collins’ HB396, which reforms the A-F school grading system, sparked spirited debate in the House Education Policy Committee on Wednesday. Representative Collins, the original sponsor of the program which passed in 2012, argued the formula used to calculate annual letter grades for schools needs to be updated.
Key Provisions:
- Current Law: Schools are graded using a weighted formula incorporating student achievement, academic growth, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, and college and career readiness.
- Proposed Changes: HB396 would shift the weighting away from graduation rates and chronic absenteeism, and increase the weight of college and career readiness and achievement. The bill would also provide for a separate measure tracking academic growth of an individual school’s lowest-performing students. The State Board of Education could raise metrics needed to earn a higher letter grade after three years based on recommendations from a newly created accountability council.
Opposition and Support: Two dozen Alabama superintendents attended the committee meeting to oppose the changes, arguing in part that there had not been enough input into the bill’s reforms. A+ Education Partnership and the ExcelinEd organizations spoke in support, pointing out that it was time to raise the bar for Alabama’s public schools.
Status: No action was taken in committee, but Representative Collins said she expects to bring it back for consideration next week.
Screen Time Limits for Young Children Heads to Governor
HB78 – Representative Jeana Ross
The Senate unanimously passed Representative Jeana Ross’ HB78 on Tuesday to limit screen time for certain young children, sending the bill to Governor Ivey for her signature. The Governor has stated she will sign it into law.
Key Provisions:
- Limits on Screen Time: The bill requires licensed child-care facilities, public kindergarten classrooms, and certain Pre-K classrooms to implement guidelines and training on screen time, created by the Department of Early Childhood Education Research and Evaluation team.
- Rationale: Representative Ross and supporters have pointed to studies and research showing that excessive screen time can have various negative effects on children’s development, attention span, and behavior.
Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Passes House
HB360 – Representative Chris Sells
Rep. Chris Sells’ HB360 passed the House on Tuesday creating an annual sales tax holiday for certain firearms and ammunition purchases.
Key Provisions:
- Covered Items: All ammunition and cases designed for use in any firearm, shotguns, rifles, pistols, revolvers or other handguns, and hunting supplies used for hunting—limited to archery equipment, gun cases, accessories, holsters, suppressors, and similar equipment—would be exempt from Alabama’s 4% sales tax during the sales tax holiday period.
- Local Option: Local and county jurisdictions may opt in if they desire.
- Dates: The bill sets the sales tax holiday to begin on the last Friday in August of each year and end on the following Sunday.
Status: Passed the House on party lines by a vote of 73-29 on Tuesday; pending in the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee due to its effect on sales taxes which flow to the State’s Education Trust Fund Budget.
Our governmental relations team is tracking the following bills:
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Bill |
Sponsors |
Title |
Last Action |
Latest Version |
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AL 2026rs |
Debtors homestead exemption; in bankruptcy cases; increase homestead exemption for seniors and disabled Senate Calendar: Special Order Calendar (February 26, 2026) Position: 7 |
Senate, Feb 26, 2026: Signature Requested |
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AL 2026rs |
Data privacy; processing of data regulated, consumer actions related to data authorized (County and Municipal Government (Senate)) |
Senate, Feb 25, 2026: Pending Committee Action in Second House (County and Municipal Government) |
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AL 2026rs |
Cryptocurrency; measures to prevent fraud by cryptocurrency kiosk operators imposed, penalties established, Alabama Securities Commission authorized to enforce (Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development (Senate)) |
Senate, Feb 25, 2026: Pending Committee Action in Second House (Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development) |
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AL 2026rs |
Mortgages; require lenders to all mortgagors to make additional mortgage payments House Calendar: Special Order Calendar (March 3, 2026) Position: 16 |
House, Feb 25, 2026: Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (Financial Services) |
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AL 2026rs |
Taxation; to exclude credit card transaction fees from sales and use tax calculations Senate Calendar: Regular Calendar (February 26, 2026) Position: 47 |
Senate, Feb 19, 2026: Carried Over |
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AL 2026rs |
Local land bank authorities; shorten tax sale redemption period; restrictions on geographic scope; creation of multijurisdictional land banks by agreement; Governor’s emergency authorization to create land bank (Fiscal Responsibility (House)) |
House, Feb 5, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Fiscal Responsibility) |
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AL 2026rs |
Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property; allow finders to contract and locate State Treasurer property, account for digital assets Senate Calendar: Regular Calendar (February 26, 2026) Position: 27 |
Senate, Feb 5, 2026: Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (Finance and Taxation General Fund) |
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AL 2026rs |
Taxation and Revenue; disabled veterans’ homestead taxes inclusion in debt-to-income ratio under certain circumstances prohibited Senate Calendar: Regular Calendar (February 26, 2026) Position: 26 |
Senate, Feb 5, 2026: Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (Finance and Taxation General Fund) |
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AL 2026rs |
Volunteer fire departments; authorized to deposit funds with financial institutions (Banking and Insurance (Senate)) |
Senate, Jan 29, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Banking and Insurance) |
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AL 2026rs |
Volunteer fire departments; authorized to deposit funds with financial institutions (County and Municipal Government (House)) |
House, Jan 29, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (County and Municipal Government) |
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AL 2026rs |
Alabama Uniform Trust Code; amended to conform with Alabama Qualified Dispositions in Trust Act, limit property subject to creditors’ claims House Calendar: Regular Calendar (March 03, 2026) Position: 28 Companion Bills: SB 179 |
House, Jan 29, 2026: Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (Financial Services) |
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AL 2026rs |
Trusts; amend Alabama Principal and Income Act, permit trustee to adjust between principal and income House Calendar: Regular Calendar (March 03, 2026) Position: 27 Companion Bills: SB 178 |
House, Jan 29, 2026: Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar (Financial Services) |
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AL 2026rs |
Artificial intelligence; age verification systems required for chatbots, safeguard protocols required, therapy chatbot requirements established, private right of action and enforcement provided for (Judiciary (House)) |
House, Jan 22, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Judiciary) |
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AL 2026rs |
Stablecoin; license required for issuance or sale of stablecoins, payment, authorize use of payment stablecoin by governmental entities for contracting, Alabama Securities Commission to enforce and authorize, penalties provided (Financial Services (House)) |
House, Jan 15, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Financial Services) |
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AL 2026rs |
Campaign finance; campaign contributions required to be held in federally insured institution (Ethics and Campaign Finance (House)) |
House, Jan 15, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Ethics and Campaign Finance) |
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AL 2026rs |
Taxation and Revenue; Homestead ad valorum taxes of certain veterans prohibited from inclusion in debt-to-income ratio under certain circumstances (Finance and Taxation General Fund (Senate)) |
Senate, Jan 13, 2026: Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Finance and Taxation General Fund) |
