SB 59 Alabama Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Higher education, to require public colleges and universities to submit annual report on the amount of state and federal funds received and expended, and plans for operating if federal or state funding reduced

SB 59 requires Alabama's public colleges and universities to submit an annual report to the Executive Budget Office by October 31. The report must detail all state and federal funds received and spent during the previous fiscal year, broken down by funding source and certified as accurate. This bill directly affects all public institutions of higher education in Alabama, including the Alabama Community College System, by mandating transparency in how they use public funds.

Issues: ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed Apr 17, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed → Enrolled · 3 edits · Apr 17, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an Enrolled version, incorporating minor formatting corrections and a specific technical fix to a definition. The core policy remains the requirement for state agencies and higher education institutions to report on federal and state funding usage and create contingency plans for significant funding cuts.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains consistent, applying to state agencies and public institutions of higher education.

TECHNICAL

Corrected a typo in the definition of 'SINGLE AUDIT' where the word 'non-federal' was accidentally merged with 'nonfederal'.

Fixed a formatting error in the definition of 'FEDERAL RECEIPTS' where the number '5' was incorrectly repeated before the word 'percent'.

Added a page header label 'Enrolled' to distinguish the final version from the 'Engrossed' draft.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1351

lower

Apr 1, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported Out of Committee Second House

lower

Feb 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

Pending Committee Action in Second House (Ways and Means Education)

lower

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 249

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Orr motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 248

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Introduced

Finance and Taxation Education 1st Amendment Offered (Finance and Taxation Education)

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Introduced

Finance and Taxation Education 1st Amendment (Finance and Taxation Education)

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Finance and Taxation Education)

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors