Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new grant fund within the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to support the development and improvement of inland ports and intermodal transfer facilities. It establishes an annual transfer of five million dollars from the Public Road and Bridge Fund to finance capital projects, such as infrastructure upgrades and dredging, while requiring a minimum 20 percent local financial contribution from applicants. The funding is awarded through a competitive process that prioritizes projects expected to reduce highway congestion and increase port efficiency, but it explicitly excludes money for routine maintenance, administrative costs, or the acquisition of new land. Additionally, the legislation clarifies that these new funds will not alter the existing authority or operations of current state port commissions.
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Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Director of the Alabama State Personnel Department to regularly review job requirements for state employees and identify roles where those requirements could be lowered. Specifically, the director must work to reduce the number of positions that mandate a four-year college degree whenever it is feasible to do so. The law also calls for an assessment of educational, experience, and training needs to ensure they remain necessary for each job classification. These changes take effect on October 1, 2024, and apply to all positions within the state service.
Maddy summaryThis bill removes the requirement for 14- and 15-year-olds in Alabama to obtain a specific "eligibility to work form" from their school as a condition of employment. Instead of needing this separate document, employers must continue to secure an annual Child Labor Certificate from the Department of Labor to legally hire minors in these age groups. The law maintains existing rules that allow minors to work only outside of school hours and in non-prohibited jobs, while still requiring schools to notify the department if a student's attendance or grades become unsatisfactory. This change simplifies the hiring process for young workers by eliminating one administrative step while keeping other child labor protections in place.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Alabama's State Textbook Committee to regularly review magazines, newspapers, and journals used in public K-12 classrooms. The law defines a periodical as regularly used if it appears at least once a week during the school year and mandates the creation of statewide lists of approved publications. Additionally, the State Board of Education is authorized to establish separate guidelines for this review process, distinct from the existing textbook review procedures. These changes take effect on October 1, 2024.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new School Security Program within the Alabama Department of Education to conduct periodic inspections of public K-12 school facilities every five years. Local school boards will be graded on a letter scale from A to F based on compliance with specific security criteria, such as camera coverage, alarm systems, door locks, and emergency exits. To help schools improve, the bill creates a School Security and Fire Safety Fund that provides grants to districts with lower grades or those needing fire safety upgrades. Additionally, the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency will run a School Mapping Data Program to create accurate, verified maps of school campuses for emergency responders.
Maddy summaryThis bill protects doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners from having their licenses revoked or suspended solely for recommending medical treatments that the FDA has not specifically approved for a particular condition. To receive such off-label treatments, patients must sign a written document that explains the approved alternatives, details the specific procedure, and outlines potential risks including severe side effects or death. The law also establishes a legal path for healthcare professionals to sue a licensing board if it takes punitive action against them for following these new rules, while simultaneously stating that patients cannot sue providers simply for prescribing these treatments if proper consent was obtained.
Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes teachers in Alabama public schools to temporarily remove students from the classroom for specific disruptive behaviors, such as disorderly conduct, threats, or willful disobedience. Once a student is excluded, the principal or their designee must determine when the student can return and decide on any further disciplinary actions, including suspension or placement in an alternative school for students excluded three times in one month. The legislation also grants education employees immunity from civil and criminal liability when acting in accordance with state rules and allows local school boards to reimburse legal fees for employees defending their actions. Additionally, the bill creates a rebuttable presumption that teachers take necessary steps to maintain a safe classroom environment and requires school boards to adopt specific policies and appeal processes related to student exclusions.
Maddy summaryThis bill ties an employer's ability to receive state or local economic development grants, loans, or tax credits to specific rules about how they handle union representation. It prohibits companies from automatically recognizing a union based solely on signed authorization cards if a secret ballot election is possible, and it bans sharing employees' personal contact information with unions without written consent. Additionally, the law extends these restrictions to subcontractors and requires employers who violate these rules to repay all incentives they have received. The Alabama Department of Revenue is given the authority to investigate these violations, and the changes apply to agreements made on or after January 1, 2025.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the use of ranked-choice voting in all elections within Alabama, affecting local, state, and federal races. It defines ranked-choice voting as a system where voters rank candidates by preference and ballots are counted in multiple rounds until one candidate achieves a majority. The only exception to this ban is for military and overseas citizens who cast absentee ballots under federal law. The law takes effect on October 1, 2024, replacing any existing provisions that allowed this voting method.
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