SB 276 amends Alabama law to clarify funding for Baldwin County’s legislative office and allocate distributions from the county’s business license tax (privilege license tax). It requires 75% of the tax revenue to fund the legislative office, including $200,000 annually for office operations, equipment, and travel (with $2,000/year limits for House members and $7,500 for Senate members). The remaining tax revenue is distributed as follows: 12% to historic sites (10% to Historic Blakeley Authority), 8% to economic development, and 1.5% to the Historic Development Commission. Any excess in the legislative office fund over $300,000 annually must be distributed to the Historic Development Commission for capital improvements.
HB 503 would expand religious vaccine exemptions for students in Alabama. For K-12 public schools, it allows parents to exempt children with a simple written declaration (no explanation or approval needed). For public colleges, it requires institutions to offer religious exemptions (via student-written statements) alongside medical exemptions for vaccine or testing requirements. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies directly to K-12 students (via parents) and college students (directly).
HB 482 allows Alabama's State Treasurer to invest up to 10% of certain state funds in digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, or exchange-traded products (ETPs). It requires these assets to either be ETPs or have a minimum $750 billion market cap, and mandates strict security through "secure custody solutions" that keep private keys exclusively controlled by the state in encrypted, geographically diversified facilities. The bill prohibits the Treasurer from investing more than 10% of any fund's balance in digital assets and restricts loans of these assets unless financial risk is assessed. It becomes effective October 1, 2025, after legislative committee review.
SB 283 would allow Alabama's State Treasurer to invest up to 10% of certain state funds in digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies or stablecoins, under strict conditions. It requires investments to be either exchange-traded products (ETPs) or digital assets with a $750 billion+ average market capitalization over the past year. The bill mandates that all digital assets must be held through secure custody solutions meeting detailed security standards, including encrypted private keys, multi-party transaction approval, and geographically diversified data centers. This policy directly affects state investment funds managed by the Treasurer and sets specific risk limits for digital asset holdings. The law would take effect on October 1, 2025.
SB 284 requires Alabama state agencies to publish all public payments over $1,000 (such as vendor contracts or services) to a public blockchain ledger starting October 1, 2030. It mandates the Department of Finance to create a strategic plan by September 2027, including implementation recommendations, which must be approved by the Governor by December 2027. The bill does not require exclusive use of blockchain technology for tracking state spending but establishes a timeline for transparency in public financial records.
HB 498 amends Alabama law to give the State Superintendent of Education new authority to enforce education regulations. Specifically, it allows the Superintendent to issue subpoenas requiring witnesses to testify or produce documents related to school law enforcement, and to appoint special investigators within the Department of Education's Office of General Counsel. These investigators can serve subpoenas, access school property, interview witnesses, and review relevant records to investigate misconduct by school employees. The bill directly affects the Superintendent's ability to conduct investigations and the school employees whose conduct may be under review. It becomes effective August 1, 2025.
SB 285 removes a state requirement for health care facilities to obtain a certificate of need (a type of approval process) before building new or expanding existing obstetric (pregnancy/birthing) or psychiatric (mental health) care facilities. This change directly affects hospitals, clinics, and health care providers seeking to add or expand these specific services. The bill eliminates the approval hurdle for these facilities while making minor technical updates to related state code. It does not alter other certificate of need requirements for different health services or facilities.
HB 491 bans Alabama public K-12 schools from selling, serving, or permitting the sale of food containing seven specific dyes (Red Dye 3, Red Dye 40, Yellow Dye 5, Yellow Dye 6, Blue Dye 1, Blue Dye 2, and Green Dye 3) in school meals or on school premises. Schools may still sell these foods during fundraising events held off-campus or after school hours (at least 30 minutes past the end of the school day). The law, effective August 1, 2025, directly affects school food providers and students consuming school-provided meals. It does not ban all additives, only the listed dyes, with clear exceptions for certain fundraising activities.
HB 489 allows high school student athletes in Alabama to receive paid compensation for using their name, image, or likeness (NIL), directly affecting athletes in public and private K-12 schools. Key provisions prohibit payments tied to athletic performance, school enrollment, or school-related items (like logos, uniforms, or facilities), and require athletes and parents to get professional guidance on tax and college eligibility impacts before signing contracts. Athletes must also notify school officials at least seven days before entering any NIL agreement. The bill aims to balance athlete compensation with academic and athletic integrity, with the law set to take effect October 1, 2025.
This bill establishes Alabama's regulatory framework for sports wagering, creating the Alabama Gaming Commission to license online betting platforms and tax profits from sports betting activities. It directs tax revenue from sports wagering to fund name, image, and likeness (NIL) programs supporting high school student-athletes. The bill also creates an NIL Oversight Committee to regulate athlete compensation, sets rules for NIL agreements, and provides state income tax exemptions on NIL earnings for eligible student-athletes. These provisions aim to generate state revenue while establishing structured support and protections for high school athletes participating in NIL programs.
HB 504 prohibits Alabama's Teachers' and Employees' Retirement Systems from investing in securities tied to Chinese entities designated by U.S. federal authorities as linked to military or national security concerns. The bill requires retirement boards to divest from any holdings in these restricted entities - defined as companies on federal lists like the NS-CMIC List or those designated under Executive Orders 13959 and 14105 - by January 1, 2026. It mandates the State Auditor to maintain and update a list of restricted entities every six months. The law directly affects Alabama's public retirement funds, which collectively manage billions in assets, by aligning their investment practices with federal restrictions on Chinese military-linked securities.
HB 470 establishes the Government Information Privacy Protection Act to safeguard personally identifiable information (PII) held by state and federal agencies. It requires state agencies to obtain written consent from individuals and the state before sharing PII with federal agencies, mandates annual privacy training for state employees handling PII, and sets strict vendor requirements (including security ratings and prohibitions on unauthorized sharing). Violations could result in civil penalties up to $50,000 per incident for individuals or criminal penalties up to $500,000 for state employees in repeated violations. An independent Oversight Board will monitor compliance and report annually to the legislature, starting in 2026.
