Alabama 2024 Legislative Report: Week One

The Alabama Legislature began its annual Regular Session on Tuesday, February 6. As the annual Session is limited by law to 30 session days within a 105 calendar day period, the Session must conclude by May 20, 2024. While the Legislature generally meets in Session on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Committee Meetings held chiefly on Wednesdays, they held 3 meeting days this week and held committee meetings throughout the week. They are expected to do this for the next few weeks of the Session. 

241 bills were introduced during the first week of the Session. 

DURING THE WEEK 

Governor Ivey gave her annual State of the State address Tuesday evening revealing that her top priority this legislative session was a bill called the CHOOSE Act to create Education Saving Accounts which would offer tax credits up to $7,000 per year available to eligible parents to be used for private education, home schooling, or other education purposes. She is recommending an annual appropriation of $100 million for these accounts. She also announced that she supports allowing the voters to decide if Alabama should have a lottery, a limited amount of casinos, and sports betting. She also announced her support for the expansion of broadband, emphasis on workforce development, election reforms, and teacher pay increases.

HOUSE 

HB8 by Rep. Brown: To require insurers to provide at least 90 days written notice of a property insurance policy cancellation, nonrenewal, or coverage restriction (Assigned to House Insurance Committee). 

HB9 by Rep. Colvin: To prohibit governmental entities and the State Health Officer from imposing any face mask mandates to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or any other communicable disease (Assigned to House Health Committee). 

HB12 by Rep. Clarke: To allow a disabled voter to designate an individual to deliver the voter’s application for an absentee ballot or the voter’s absentee ballot to the absentee election manager (Assigned to House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee). 

HB17 by Rep. England: To increase the simplified sellers use tax rate from 8% to 9.25%, and to provide for the distribution of the additional tax proceeds to be distributed to local boards of education (Assigned to House Ways and Means Education Committee). 

HB26 by Rep. Hulsey: To require the pre-employment training for fire-protection personnel and volunteer firefighters to include training on interacting with individuals with sensory needs or invisible disabilities (Assigned to House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee). 

HB35 by Rep. Hill: A proposed Constitutional Amendment to divide each regular session of the Legislature into two separate periods, and to require budget bills to pass before convening the second period of a regular session (Assigned to House State Government Committee). 

HB41 by Rep. Givan: To provide that during an ongoing active law enforcement investigation or prosecution, the disclosure of recordings from a body-worn camera or dashboard camera may not be delayed unless the disclosure would substantially interfere with the investigation or prosecution, and to provide that under no circumstances may a disclosure be delayed more than six months from the date of the request (Assigned to House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee). 

HB48 by Rep. Ensler: To prohibit persons from possessing any part or combination of parts designed or intended to convert a firearm into a machine gun (Assigned to House Judiciary Committee). 

HB54 by Rep. Bedsole: To provide compensation to the survivors of a volunteer firefighter who dies of work-related cancer by making them eligible for the death benefit awarded by the State Board of Adjustment for first responders who die in the line of duty (Assigned to House Ways and Means General Fund Committee). 

HB61 by Rep. Brown: To prohibit the consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria when awarding a public contract and require a bidder, as a condition of being awarded a public contract, to certify that its employees will not be subject to a personal ESG rating as a basis of hiring, firing, or evaluation (Assigned to House State Government Committee). 

HB65 by Rep. Drummond: To revise the definition of “electronic nicotine delivery system” to include battery powered devices that deliver substances other than tobacco through the inhalation of vapor, to prohibit the distribution through a vending machine, and to require a one-time application fee and an annual permit fee for the distribution of those products (Assigned to House Judiciary Committee). 

HB66 by Rep. Brown: To require food service establishments to notify consumers of the country of origin of seafood products, use the correct common name of seafood products, and notify consumers as to whether fish or shrimp are farm raised or wild (Assigned to House Ports, Waterways and Intermodal Transit Committee). 

HB73 by Phillip Pettus: To provide for a cap on real property tax assessments under certain conditions (Assigned to House Ways and Means General Fund Committee). 

HB74 by Rep. Givan: To prohibit an individual from possessing a bump stock that causes the repeated activation of a firearm’s trigger in this state (Assigned to House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee). 

HB87 by Rep. Brown: To authorize an airport authority to form any necessary legal business entity or venture relating to airport operations and conduct any activities required for the operation of the authority (Assigned to House Ports, Waterways and Intermodal Transit Committee). 

HB88 by Rep. Yarbrough: To create the True School Choice for Alabama Act, to secure the fundamental constitutional rights of parents to direct the education of their children in grades K-12, establish the roles and responsibilities of the Parent Advisory Board, and create and provide for funding (Assigned to House Education Policy Committee). 

HB93 by Rep. Stubbs: To provide that a county commission is not liable for and may not be a party to a suit challenging the expenditure or use of public funds where a local law provides that the public funds are to be expended or used at the discretion of a single public official (Assigned to House County and Municipal Government Committee). 

HB101 by Rep. Clarke: To include additional items that are considered election expenses that must be reimbursed to counties by the state (Assigned to House Ways and Means General Fund Committee). 

HB102 by Rep. DuBose: To eliminate the eligibility to work form currently required of individuals under the age of 16 (Assigned to House Children and Senior Advocacy Committee). 

HB111 by Rep. DuBose: To define man, woman, boy, girl, father, mother, male, female and sex for purposes of state law, to provide policy on the differences between sexes, to provide that state and local public entities may establish separate single-sexspaces or environments in certain circumstances, and require the state or political subdivisions that collect vital statistics related to sex as male or female for certain purposes to identify each individual as either male or female at birth (Assigned to House Judiciary Committee). 

HB116 by Rep. Jackson: To require each county to provide at least one early voting center, to be open during the week immediately preceding election day, to allow registered voters to vote prior to election day (Assigned to House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee). 

HB126 by Rep. Hulsey: To require fire-protection personnel, certified volunteer firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel to undergo annual training on interacting with individuals with sensory needs or invisible disabilities (Assigned to House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee). 

HB129 by Rep. Garrett: To create the CHOOSE Act to establish a refundable income tax credit to offset the cost of qualifying educational expenses, to direct the Department of Revenue to establish education savings accounts through which parents can access funds to direct the education of participating students, and to establish program requirements for parents of participating students, education service providers and participating schools (Assigned to House Ways and Means Education Committee). 

HB130 by Rep. Butler: To prohibit classroom instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation in public K-12 schools (Assigned to House Education Policy Committee). 

HB133 by Rep. Reynolds: To make supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, from the General Fund to various agencies and entities a total amount of $189,733,137 (Assigned to House Ways & Means General Fund Committee). 

HB134 by Rep. Reynolds: General Fund Budget (Assigned to House Ways and Means General Fund Committee). 

HB144 by Rep. Garrett: To make supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, from the Education Trust Fund to various agencies and entities a total amount of $651,202,906 (Assigned to House Ways and Means Education Committee). 

HB145 by Rep. Garrett: Education Trust Fund Budget (Assigned to House Ways and Means Education Committee). 

HB146 by Rep. Garrett: To provide for a 2% pay increase for educators and education employees (Assigned to House Ways and Means Education Committee). 

HB151 by Rep. Blackshear: A proposed Constitutional Amendment to authorize an official state lottery, casino-style games, limited sports wagering, traditional raffles, and traditional paper bingo (Assigned to House Economic Development and Tourism Committee). 

HB152 by Rep. Blackshear: To establish the Alabama Gaming Commission, to define the various forms of gaming allowed under the bill, provide for the various gaming licenses, fees, and taxes, establish the Alabama Lottery Corporation, provide for the creation and operation of a state lottery, and provide for the distribution of the various fees and taxes collected (Assigned to House Economic Development and Tourism Committee). 

HB153 by Rep. Hall: To provide a cost-of-living increase for state employees (Assigned to House Ways and Means General Fund Committee). 

SENATE 

SB2 by Sen. Allen: A proposed Constitutional Amendment to require local boards of education to adopt policies requiring each K-12 public school to broadcast or sanction the performance of the first stanza of The Star Spangled Banner at least once per week during school hours (Assigned to Senate Education Policy Committee). 

SB3 by Sen. Coleman-Madison: To provide a shortened redemption period for a tax delinquent property that is not acquired by an open market bidder at a tax sale auction, would authorize a local government or a local land bank authority to purchase property at public auction by tendering the minimum bid in the absence of open market bids, and would limit the geographical boundaries of local land bank authority acquisitions (Assigned to Senate County and Municipal Government Committee). 

SB6 by Sen. Williams: To provide an exemption from the state’s sales and use tax for agricultural fencing (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee). 

SB14 by Sen. Coleman: To allow a recording made by a body-worn camera or dashboard camera used by law enforcement to be considered a public record, making the recording subject to public inspection, and would require the custodial law enforcement agency to release the recording within 30 days of the request (Assigned to Senate Judiciary Committee). 

SB16 by Sen. Coleman: To prohibit a law enforcement officer from using a taser on an individual who is restrained (Assigned to Senate Judiciary Committee). 

SB17 by Sen. Coleman: To provide that it is unlawful for a law enforcement officer to use a taser on an individual who is restrained, and to provide for criminal penalties for a violation (Assigned to Senate Judiciary Committee). 

SB20 by Sen. Elliott: A proposed Constitutional Amendment to define the Bon Secour Landmark District within Baldwin County and to prohibit the annexation by local law of any property within the district into any municipality except under certain conditions (Assigned to Senate Local Legislation Committee). 

SB21 by Sen. Givhan: To provide a cap in increases on Class IV property tax assessments under certain conditions (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee). 

SB23 by Sen. Williams: To prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution of meat made from cultured animal cells (Assigned to Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee). 

SB27 by Sen. Chesteen: To include additional items that are considered election expenses that must be reimbursed to counties by the state (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund). 

SB30 by Sen. Singleton: To allow individuals 75 years of age or older to be excused from jury service and the request a permanent exemption from jury duty (Assigned to Senate Judiciary Committee). 

SB40 by Sen. Singleton: A proposed Constitutional Amendment to provide for the election of associated justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the courts of appeals by district (Assigned to Senate Judiciary Committee). 

SB45 by Sen. Sessions: To require the State Health Officer to issue an advisory regarding the consumption of fish when deemed appropriate, and require the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to post signage at access areas adjacent to waters of this state with an active fish consumption advisory (Assigned to Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee). 

SB53 by Sen. Orr: To eliminate the eligibility to work form currently required of individuals under the age of 16 (Assigned to Senate Children and Youth Health Committee). 

SB61 by Sen. Orr: To create the CHOOSE Act to establish a refundable income tax credit to offset the cost of qualifying educational expenses, to direct the Department of Revenue to establish education savings accounts through which parents can access funds to direct the education of participating students, and to establish program requirements for parents of participating students, education service providers and participating schools (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee). 

SB62 by Sen. Orr: To provide for a sales and use tax exemption for purchases of certain baby supplies, baby formula, maternity clothing, and menstrual hygiene products (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee). 

SB63 by Sen. Carnley: To provide that a county commission is not liable for and may not be a party to a suit challenging the expenditure or use of public funds where a local law provides that the public funds are to be expended or used at the discretion of a single public official (Assigned to Senate County and Municipal Government Committee). 

SB66 by Sen. Albritton: To make supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, from the General Fund to various agencies and entities a total amount of $189,733,137 (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee). 

SB67 by Sen. Albritton: General Fund Budget (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee). 

SB68 by Sen. Albritton: To provide a 2% cost-of-living increase for state employees for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2024 (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee). 

SB73 by Sen. Williams: To exempt the gross proceeds from the sale of materials purchased to be used as fencing for agricultural livestock purposes from the state’s sales and use tax (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee). 

SB75 by Sen. Orr: Education Trust Fund Budget (Assigned to Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee). 

SB85 by Sen. Figures: To move Robert E. Lee Day to the second Monday in October (Assigned to Senate Count and Municipal Government Committee). 

NOTABLE FLOOR ACTION THIS WEEK 

SENATE FLOOR 

SB48 by Sen. Reed: To require each public preK-12 school to posst the curricula for each class on the website of the school and to permit parents or guardians to examine instructional and supplemental materials used in the classroom upon request (As amended). 

SB54 by Sen. Orr: To require the State Textbook Committee to review periodicals regularly used in public K-12 schools (As amended). 

NOTABLE COMMITTEE ACTION THIS WEEK 

SENATE COMMITTEES 

SB1 by Sen. Gudger: To prohibit any person from ordering, requesting, collecting, prefilling, obtaining, or delivering an absentee ballot application or absentee ballot of a voter in certain circumstances and to provide for exceptions (Substituted in Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee). 

SB10 by Sen. Elliott: To provide that library board members shall serve at the pleasure of their respective appointing authorities (Amended in Senate County and Municipal Government Committee). 

SB38 by Sen. Allen: To specify that the definition of “gross receipts” does not include any excise tax imposed by the federal, state and local governments for the purpose of calculating the municipal business license tax (Public Hearing but no vote in Senate County and Municipal Government Committee).