This bill requires Alabama municipalities to pass new or increased taxes and fees through a formal ordinance rather than allowing them to be imposed without this specific legislative process. It mandates that councils provide at least 30 days' public notice before holding a hearing on such tax measures, with the notice published in local newspapers and on municipal and state websites. The law also sets different voting thresholds for council approval depending on city size, requiring a majority of the entire council including the mayor for smaller towns and a majority of elected members for larger cities. These requirements take effect on October 1, 2026, and apply to all municipalities in Alabama.
This bill authorizes Shelby County to sell gas, minerals, and other materials recovered from its public landfill to public or private buyers. The county must use competitive sealed bidding to award contracts for these sales, with agreements limited to a maximum of 20 years. All money earned from these sales must be deposited into the county's General Fund and used for solid waste collection, landfill maintenance, and other legally permitted purposes. The legislation takes effect on October 1, 2026.
This bill is a Senate Joint Resolution that formally commends Peggy Sellers Benson on her retirement as Executive Officer of the Alabama Board of Nursing. The resolution recognizes her nearly three-decade career in nursing leadership, including her role in implementing new healthcare worker classifications and joining the national Nurse Licensure Compact. It highlights her professional achievements and contributions to nursing workforce development without creating any new laws or policies. The document serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of her service rather than establishing substantive legislative changes.
This bill is a resolution honoring the 105th birthday of Mrs. Sallie Frances Hawk Davis, a resident of Alabama. It formally recognizes her life achievements and expresses congratulations on her milestone birthday. The resolution does not create new laws or change policies but serves as a ceremonial tribute to an individual.
This bill is a House resolution that formally commends Reverend Dr. Walter D. Ball for his 40 years of pastoral leadership at Morning Star Baptist Church in Hooper City, Alabama. The measure recognizes his long-term service as senior pastor, his contributions to the Gospel Unity Hour radio program, and his work as an educator in the Fairfield School System. It does not create new laws or policies but serves as an official acknowledgment of his dedication to the church and community.
This bill is a joint resolution that formally honors the 50th anniversary of Commonwealth National Bank, a Black-owned and operated institution based in Mobile, Alabama. The measure acknowledges the bank's history of providing financial services to underserved communities and highlights its role as one of only four nationally chartered Black-owned banks in the United States. It does not create new laws or change existing policies but serves as a ceremonial recognition of the bank's legacy and ongoing contributions to the Mobile community.
This bill is a commendation resolution recognizing Honda for 25 years of operating its automotive plant in Lincoln, Alabama. It does not create new laws or change policies but instead formally acknowledges Honda's $3.2 billion investment, 4,500 direct employees, and broader economic contributions to the state. The resolution highlights the plant's production capacity, its role in the local economy, and Honda's community service efforts. As a symbolic measure, it requires no funding or regulatory changes and serves to honor Honda's long-term commitment to Alabama.
This bill prohibits the construction or operation of new large-scale solar power facilities for one year, but only in unincorporated areas of counties served by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The restriction applies to facilities that were not already operating or under construction as of the bill's effective date, which is set to begin immediately upon enactment. The law defines a solar power facility as a ground-mounted installation of photovoltaic panels designed to generate electricity for off-site use or sale to third parties. Exceptions may apply, though the bill does not specify what those exceptions are. The measure is currently pending committee action in the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund committee.
This bill creates a pilot program in Alabama to test automated photographic speed enforcement cameras in highway work zones where construction or maintenance is actively underway. The system would automatically record images of vehicles and their license plates when they exceed the speed limit by 10 mph or more, allowing law enforcement to issue civil traffic citations rather than criminal charges. The Department of Transportation and Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency must collaborate to implement the program in one interstate work zone by October 2026, with full enforcement not beginning until November 2026 to allow for proper driver notification and system rollout. The bill also requires the agencies to submit progress reports to the Legislature by March 2027, including data on whether the cameras improve safety for workers and reduce speeding in construction zones.
This bill requires Alabama's State Department of Education to create and publish an annual report card that evaluates the performance of all educator preparation programs and alternative teacher preparation organizations. The report card will include detailed metrics such as student pass rates, employment outcomes, retention rates, and satisfaction surveys from both graduates and their employers. To support this system, the bill mandates that these programs provide annual data to the department and allocates funding to help implement the reporting requirements. The State Board of Education will review the report cards each year to determine if any programs need additional support or intervention.
HB 403 requires Alabama's Public Service Commission to review contracts between utilities and large data centers (defined as those with 150+ megawatts of load) and ensure these contracts recover the utility's additional costs (like fuel and taxes) caused by the data center. The Commission must also determine that the contracts promote benefits for other customers, such as lower costs or improved system efficiency for residential, commercial, and industrial users. This applies to data centers meeting the definition in Section 40-9B-3 of Alabama law and takes effect October 1, 2026. The bill does not change existing approval standards but adds specific criteria for these contracts.
HB 424 creates the Office of Risk and Resilience within Alabama's Department of Insurance to address insurance market risks and resilience. It moves the Strengthen Alabama Homes Program into this new office, which helps homeowners retrofit properties to resist hurricane and tornado damage through grants or funding. The program relies on federal grants, state appropriations, or other external funds - state funds are not obligated - and requires projects to follow local building codes and inspections. Homeowners seeking storm-resistant retrofits and nonprofit organizations administering such projects are directly affected by the program's structure and funding mechanisms.
