Alabama Bills

This bill updates Alabama's weatherization assistance program by allowing the Department of Economic and Community Affairs to hire nonprofit organizations to manage the program. It expands how money can be added to the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Fund, including through private donations and interest earnings, and prevents unused funds from returning to the general state budget. The income limit for qualifying households is adjusted to 125% of the poverty level, while also maintaining eligibility for seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children. Nonprofit groups must meet specific requirements, such as tax-exempt status and conflict of interest policies, to administer the assistance. These changes take effect on June 1, 2026.

This bill requires the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to issue a deed to specific school indemnity lands in Walker and Fayette counties upon request from the Franklin County Board of Education. The legislation adds a new section to the state code that formalizes this transfer process, ensuring the department must comply with the request for these particular lands. The bill is intended to implement a constitutional provision from a 2024 election that was ratified in November 2024. It would take effect on October 1, 2026, and applies only to lands where schools in Franklin County are the sole beneficiary. This change affects the administrative process for transferring certain school lands rather than creating new land ownership rules.

This bill modifies rules for tax increment districts in the state, allowing major 21st Century Manufacturing Zones to be located within these districts regardless of the district's size. It specifically expands the list of eligible industries to include ship building, medical, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, computer, and aviation sectors. The legislation also permits the use of ad valorem tax revenues collected within these districts to support the designated manufacturing zones. These changes aim to provide more flexibility in economic development efforts by broadening which industries can benefit from tax increment financing.

This bill authorizes Choctaw County commissioners to raise property taxes by up to five mills to fund road and bridge improvements. The tax increase would apply for a maximum of five years and must be approved by a majority of voters in the county at an upcoming election. The bill also allows the county to take on debt to finance specific infrastructure projects using the tax revenue.

This bill establishes a legislative delegation, office, and fund for Montgomery County. It requires the county commission to deposit specific monies into the newly created fund and designates the largest municipality in the county for certain responsibilities. The legislation creates a formal structure to manage county legislative affairs and financial resources.

This bill recommends that Alabama state government entities avoid using the term "West Bank" and instead use "Judea and Samaria" in official materials. It is a non-binding resolution that encourages state agencies to adopt this terminology based on historical and religious arguments presented in the bill text. The measure does not impose legal requirements or penalties but serves as a formal recommendation to align state language with the bill's stated view of the region's historical names.

This bill expands the types of single-dose epinephrine devices that schools and authorized entities in Alabama are permitted to carry and use to treat life-threatening allergic reactions. Currently, only specific autoinjector devices are approved for student self-administration and school stockpiling, but this legislation would allow any FDA-approved premeasured single-dose epinephrine system to be used for this purpose. The changes apply to public and nonpublic schools, school staff, and students who have received proper medical authorization and training for self-administration. The bill also maintains existing protections that shield schools and trained personnel from liability when following established protocols for emergency response to allergic reactions.

This bill modifies Alabama's lodging tax rules for Etowah County by changing the minimum stay requirement from 30 to 180 continuous days before the tax no longer applies. The change directly affects hotels, vacation rentals, and other lodging providers in Etowah County that offer extended-stay accommodations. Under the new provision, guests staying for 180 or more consecutive days would not be charged the lodging tax, while shorter stays would remain subject to the tax. The bill also includes minor technical updates to align the code language with current formatting standards and takes effect on October 1, 2026.

This bill establishes a new personnel department for Etowah County, Alabama, to manage classified service employees. The department will include a five-member personnel board with staggered terms, appointed by various county officials, the chamber of commerce, and labor councils. Board members must be qualified voters who cannot hold other county jobs, and they will receive per diem payments for meetings. The changes take effect on July 1, 2026.

This bill allows cash transactions in Alabama to be rounded to the nearest five cents, affecting businesses and consumers who use physical currency for purchases. The rounding follows specific rules based on the final digit of the transaction amount, with no changes to sales prices, taxes, or fees. It applies only to in-person cash payments and excludes electronic payments, checks, and transactions with government entities. The Department of Revenue must post a notice on its website about this new authorization, which takes effect immediately upon passage.

This bill modifies the lodging tax rules in Etowah County, Alabama, by increasing the required continuous stay period for tax exemption from 30 days to 180 days. It directly affects hotels, motels, inns, and other lodging establishments operating in the county by changing how long guests must stay to avoid the two percent privilege and license tax on their room charges. The bill also specifies that tax revenue collected will be split equally between tourism promotion and beautification and ecology projects, with funds managed by local commissions. The changes are set to take effect on October 1, 2026, and apply only to accommodations provided to transient guests.

HB 399 modifies tax incentives for large data processing centers in Alabama. It limits the maximum tax exemption period to 20 years starting January 1, 2027, and requires these centers to pay state noneducational ad valorem taxes and sales taxes on building materials, power infrastructure, and other specific purchases beginning in 2027. The bill extends the sunset date for existing tax abatements related to data centers and updates code language for clarity. This directly affects new or expanded data centers meeting job and wage thresholds (20+ jobs averaging $40,000+ annual compensation). The changes aim to balance economic development incentives with increased tax revenue collection for infrastructure investments.