This bill establishes the Alabama Schools S.T.E.M. Programs Study Commission to examine current state programs and policies related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in public and private schools. The commission will be composed of legislative leaders and committee chairs from both parties, along with designees, and will include members representing diverse racial, gender, geographic, and economic backgrounds. Its main task is to review existing S.T.E.M. initiatives, suggest improvements to program structures and funding, and submit a final report to the Legislature by November 1, 2026, after which the commission will be dissolved.
This bill establishes the Alabama Centralized Grant Management Database within the Department of Economic and Community Affairs to create a single online platform for tracking grant opportunities. The database will list all available federal, state, local, and private grants for which Alabama entities are eligible, while also maintaining a voluntary registry of grant writers and technical assistance providers. State agencies must cooperate by providing grant information, and the department will offer guidance to help local governments, small businesses, and nonprofits identify and apply for funding. The system will be publicly accessible, and the department must submit annual reports to state leadership on usage and any operational challenges. Funding for the database will come through legislative appropriations, with the law taking effect on October 1, 2026.
This bill allocates up to $203 million in federal funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program to Alabama's Department of Economic and Community Affairs for fiscal year 2026. The money is divided among ten specific health initiatives focused on rural areas, including electronic health records, workforce development, maternal health, cancer care, mental health services, and emergency medical response improvements. The bill also establishes rules for carrying over unspent funds to the next fiscal year and requires state officials to obtain federal approval before reallocating money between different program categories. These provisions aim to support ongoing healthcare infrastructure and services in rural Alabama communities while maintaining compliance with federal funding requirements.
SB 277 creates a new legal framework for "decentralized unincorporated nonprofit associations" in Alabama, allowing groups to form under this structure using blockchain technology and smart contracts for governance. These associations can engage in limited profit-making activities (like selling goods or services), but all profits must serve their nonprofit purpose, and they cannot distribute earnings to members except under specific rules for compensation or dissolution. The bill directly affects nonprofit groups seeking to operate transparently via digital tools, as it defines their governance rules, member rights, and administrative duties. It does not change existing nonprofits but establishes a new category for those adopting decentralized, tech-driven models.
SB 272 requires public schools and government offices to redact financial details like account numbers and tax IDs from public records before releasing them. It also prohibits using school directory lists (names and addresses of individuals or entities) for selling products or services to those listed. Requesters of such records must certify they won’t misuse the data, and violators face civil penalties up to $500 per violation. The law directly affects school districts, businesses seeking public records, and anyone handling school-related personal information.
SB 328 requires all Alabama state agencies to conduct quarterly AI-assisted reviews of their rules and guidance documents starting April 2027. The AI systems must analyze rules for conflicts with other laws, unnecessary costs, duplication, plain language compliance, and economic impacts, but human staff must review and approve all AI recommendations before changes are made. Agencies must also publish annual reports detailing review results, cost savings, and rule modifications. This affects every state agency (not just those under the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act) by mandating a new process for regulatory oversight. The bill aims to streamline rules and reduce compliance burdens through structured AI analysis, with implementation beginning October 2026.
HB 491 authorizes Tallapoosa County's Judge of Probate to charge a fee for remote access to court records via digital systems. The fee, collected from individuals or entities accessing records online, must be deposited into a special fund managed by the Judge of Probate. These funds are specifically designated for maintaining, operating, and improving the county's electronic record-keeping and remote-access services. The bill also confirms that fees collected for this purpose prior to its effective date (June 1, 2026) are valid and approved.
HB 376 requires Alabama public K-12 schools to implement age-appropriate screen time limits and internet access restrictions for each grade level. It mandates the State Board of Education to create a model policy for technology use in classrooms, which local school boards must adopt and implement by the 2027-2028 school year. The bill also requires schools to provide parents with access to a list of instructional technology used in their child's classroom and, upon request, details about device usage and browsing history. All instructional technology must support learning, avoid distractions, comply with privacy laws, and be evidence-based. The State Board must adopt implementing rules to enforce these requirements.
HB 427 expands Alabama's "Do Not Call" database to include commercial and cellular phone subscribers, not just residential ones. It bans misleading caller ID information, restricts calls to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and limits solicitation calls to three per 24 hours per person. The bill increases penalties for violations from $2,000 to $20,000 per offense and allows consumers to seek up to $20,000 in damages per violation. Violations would also be classified as deceptive trade practices under Alabama law.
HB 433 requires the removal of residential addresses from all public campaign finance filings in Alabama. It directly affects candidates and officials who submit campaign finance reports by mandating that the Secretary of State redact these addresses before publishing filings on the public Alabama FCPA Reporting System database. The bill amends existing law to ensure home addresses are never visible in searchable online records of contributions or expenditures. This change applies to all electronic filings starting with the 2014 election cycle, as updated in the current text. The law will take effect on February 1, 2027.
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