This bill creates the College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Act, which establishes a new funding mechanism for Alabama's public higher education institutions. The legislation creates a dedicated CHEER Fund that will provide bonus funding to colleges and universities that meet specific performance goals related to student outcomes such as retention, completion rates, and post-graduation employment in high-demand or high-wage fields. The bill defines eligible institutions to include all Alabama public universities and community colleges, and establishes an Outcomes-Based Higher Education Funding Coordinating Committee to set performance metrics and oversee fund distribution. Funding will be distributed by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education based on how well institutions perform against established benchmarks, with special provisions for premier research universities that demonstrate growth in external research revenue.
This bill creates the College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Act, which would provide bonus funding to specific Alabama higher education institutions that meet performance goals related to student outcomes. The program would establish a new fund and create a coordinating committee to set performance metrics, track student success, and distribute additional money to schools that improve in areas like student retention, degree completion, and post-graduation employment. Eligible institutions include all state universities, community colleges, and historically Black universities in Alabama, with funding bonuses tied to measurable achievements such as helping low-income students succeed and placing graduates in high-wage jobs. The bill defines various student categories and performance measures that the coordinating committee would use to evaluate institutional progress and determine bonus funding amounts.
This bill creates a new Accountability Council to review Alabama's public K-12 education accountability system and recommend improvements focused on closing achievement gaps and ensuring long-term student success. The council will be led by an elected chair and include members appointed by the Governor, legislative leaders, education officials, and various stakeholder groups representing business, schools, and higher education. Additionally, the bill requires the Alabama Workforce Board, along with the State Department of Education and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, to develop a system for measuring student performance data related to college and career readiness indicators. This data collection system will track outcomes such as postsecondary enrollment, industry credentials, income within six years of graduation, and employment in high-wage sectors to assess the return on investment of the education system. The council will meet annually to review current report cards, analyze the new data, and provide recommendations to state officials for revisions to the accountability system.
This bill requires Alabama's Department of Workforce to create several programs aimed at supporting skilled trade training, primarily for rural residents and employers. It would provide full tuition coverage for rural students in high-need trade programs, offer grants to rural employers who sponsor apprenticeships, and give stipends to trainees for purchasing tools or commuting costs. The legislation also establishes a statewide outreach campaign to promote trade careers and creates a system to recognize prior work experience and military training toward trade certifications. These programs would be funded through the state's general fund, subject to legislative appropriation, and would take effect on July 1, 2026.
HB 377 expands Alabama's veterans' educational benefits to include graduate-level courses in medical fields for eligible dependents, such as children, spouses, and widows of veterans who were killed, disabled, missing in action, or prisoners of war. Previously, benefits covered only undergraduate studies, but this bill extends them to graduate medical programs without altering existing tuition limits. The bill maintains current caps of $400 per semester hour for tuition and $1,000 per semester for books/fees for private school students, with the change taking effect July 31, 2026.
HB 449 establishes Alabama's state lottery system by creating the Alabama Lottery Corporation to operate and regulate lottery games. It sets up the Alabama Lottery Trust Fund, directing revenue to five specific uses: problem gambling treatment, college scholarships for public two-year and four-year institutions, cost-of-living raises for education employees, hospital operation grants, and tax credits for eligible residents. The bill also creates a Board of Directors to oversee the corporation, imposes advertising restrictions to limit appeals to minors, and increases criminal penalties for violations like selling tickets to minors or counterfeiting. This bill directly affects all Alabama residents through lottery participation and the allocation of lottery revenue to state programs.
HB 396 revises Alabama's public school grading system to create separate evaluation formulas for schools with and without 12th grade. Schools without 12th grade use weighted metrics focused on academic achievement (40%), growth (40%), and growth for low-performing students (20%). Schools with 12th grade include additional college and career readiness indicators (30%) and graduation rates (10%), such as ACT scores, dual enrollment, or industry credentials. The bill requires the Alabama Workforce Board and State Department of Education to develop a system for tracking student outcomes related to these readiness metrics, and creates an Accountability Council to review the grading system. This directly affects all Alabama public K-12 schools through their annual accountability ratings.
HB 382 protects Alabama's public colleges and universities from accreditation penalties for following state law. It prohibits accrediting agencies from punishing institutions (like revoking accreditation) for complying with state law, unless federal law overrides that state law. The bill allows public university boards to sue accrediting agencies that violate this rule and requires them to report such violations to the legislature. This applies specifically to institutions seeking or maintaining accreditation through nationally recognized agencies approved by the U.S. Department of Education. The law ensures state educational policies cannot be undermined by external accreditation requirements.
HB 235 provides $419.7 million in supplemental funding from Alabama's Education Trust Fund for the 2026 fiscal year, primarily supporting education and workforce programs. The bill allocates funds to school systems for fleet renewal ($66.5M), school safety initiatives ($50M), college and career readiness programs, specialized schools (like cyber and healthcare academies), public libraries, and universities for facility maintenance and research. Additional funding includes $3 million for Alzheimer's prevention research through Hudson Alpha and $100 million from the CHOOSE Act Fund to the Department of Revenue. These funds directly affect Alabama's public schools, colleges, libraries, and healthcare facilities by addressing infrastructure, safety, and educational program needs.
HB 353 requires Alabama school districts to create an "Advanced Math Pathway" to prepare students for Algebra I in middle school and college-level math in high school. It automatically enrolls students who score proficient or higher on state math assessments (grades 5-11) but allows parents to opt their child in or out of the pathway. School districts must provide transparent information to families about math pathways, offer academic support for students in the pathway, and report annually to the legislature on enrollment, performance, and support usage. The bill directly affects students in grades 5-11, parents/guardians (through enrollment choices), and school districts (through implementation and reporting requirements).
