What passed in the Alabama Legislature: April 15-17, 2025

Yahoo

18-04-2025

Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, looks out over the Alabama House prior to the start of the session on April 17, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
Here is a list of the bills that passed the Alabama Legislature this week.
Tuesday, April 15
House
HB 549, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, authorizes the Butler County sheriff to conduct fundraising events, such as rodeos, and use the proceeds for any lawful purpose related to the sheriff's office operations. The bill passed 14-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 550, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville , authorizes the Butler County Commission to levy a new annual $5.25 vehicle registration fee, with proceeds split equally among the sheriff, revenue commissioner and probate judge. The bill passed 10-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 551, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, authorizes the Butler County sheriff to sell surplus property, such as vehicles, and deposit the proceeds into a special fund for purchasing vehicles or related equipment for the sheriff's office. The bill passed 9-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 552, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Hammett, R-Dozier, authorizes Covington County to levy a 5% excise tax on vapor products, vaping devices, alternative nicotine products, and psychoactive cannabinoids. The bill passed 14-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 526, sponsored by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollinger's Island, allows excess funds to be used for state development projects and debt service on other bonds, and authorizes a $5 million transfer to the Department of Commerce for international offices, rural development, and operational costs. The bill passed 96-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 506, sponsored by Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, allows law enforcement and emergency agencies to designate publicly owned off-road vehicles as authorized emergency vehicles. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 447, sponsored by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, requires local school boards to adopt policies for transporting dual enrollment and other students to offsite educational venues and repeals a law mandating school buses transport community college and trade school students. The bill passed 99-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 509, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Sorrells, R-Hartford, prohibits Alabama state agencies from killing, testing, or restricting the transfer of game breeder-owned cervids, like deer, due to disease except in specific cases. The bill passed 89-8. It goes to the Senate.
HB 505, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, extends the deadline for taxpayers to appeal final tax assessments to the Alabama Tax Tribunal or circuit court from 30 to 60 days. The bill passed 100-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 255, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Greenhill, allows State Police Tier II Plan members of the Employees' Retirement System to receive payment for up to 80 hours per year of accrued and unused annual leave in excess of 480 hours. The bill passed 97-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 480, sponsored by Rep. Alan Treadaway, R-Morris, prohibits people from using a foreign national drivers license or ID to vote in Alabama elections. The bill passed 76-5. It goes to the Senate.
HB 465, sponsored by Rep. Troy Stubbs, R-Wetumpka, authorizes the director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency to use appropriated funds to purchase promotional and educational materials that enhance public awareness of the agency and emergency preparedness. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 492, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Greenhill, excludes non-felony offenses and water safety offenses committed by 14- and 15-year-olds, except DUI or boating under the influence, from being classified as delinquent acts for juvenile proceedings. The bill passed 79-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 8, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, enhances regulation of tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems, including increased sales restrictions to minors, signage requirements for retailers, establishment of a Tobacco Licensing and Compliance Fund, and mandates for a model vaping education program in schools. The bill passed 89-9. It goes to the Senate.
Senate
SB 310, sponsored by Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, authorizes the Jefferson County Commission to set the dates for an election whenever a vacancy occurs. The bill passed 28-0. It goes to the House.
SB 242, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, adopts and incorporates into Alabama statute the general and permanent laws that the Legislature enacted in the 2024 session. The bill passed 28-0. It goes to the House.
SB 212, sponsored by Sen. Josh Carnley, R-Enterprise, requires that a person who works with a realtor when purchasing a property must receive a disclosure form from a realtor prior to the realtor showing the property that must be in writing and shows how the realtor is compensated. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House.
SB 171, sponsored by Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, prohibits someone from using a motorized vehicle on land that is submerged below navigable waters or be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House.
SB 312, sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, allows establishments that have an Alcohol Beverage Control Board license and that serve alcohol under those licenses to store their beverages at a permanent facility for a limited time before they are transferred to different locations, and creates a new license that allows state and local governments to serve alcohol on premises that they own. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House.
SB 316, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, creates a new license category called 'educational tourism distillery' that allows liquor manufacturers that host public tours to sell their own alcoholic beverages at different locations on their properties at the retail price. The bill passed 26-3. It goes to the House.
SB 216, sponsored by Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, allows firemedics who retired to return to duty without having their retirement allowances suspended and caps their salaries at $52,000 per year. The bill passed 29-0. It goes to the House.
SB 280, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, requires that Alabama Department of Education develop a digital platform and a system to share data that consolidates documents required for the Alabama Literacy Act, Alabama Numeracy Act and individualized education programs. The bill passed 29-0. It goes to the House.
SB 244, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, creates the crime of aggravated theft of employee retirement benefits, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The bill passed 30-0. It goes to the House.
House
HB 424, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Matthews, increases the annual salary of the Montgomery County sheriff to $225,000 effective at the start of the next term of office for the sheriff and provides a $70,000 expense allowance for sheriffs who have served two or more consecutive full terms. The allowance will expire upon the conclusion of the current term of the Montgomery County sheriff. The bill passed 16-0. It goes to the Senate.
SB 288, sponsored by Sen. Billy Beasley, D-Clayton, establishes a $37,125 annual salary for the supernumerary revenue commissioner of Barbour County effective Oct. 1. The bill passed 14-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.
SB 298, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, authorizes the city of Florence to annex additional land, including a 60-foot-wide right-of-way along Gresham Road. The bill passed 10-0. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.
SB 286, sponsored by Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, allows members of the Montgomery City Council to participate in the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama, with provisions for purchasing service credit for prior service and prohibiting dual participation in both the Employees' Retirement System and a supernumerary program. The measure, a constitutional amendment, passed 66-0. It will appear on a ballot for voters to consider.
HB 437, sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, establishes a shark alert system for people on Alabama beaches to be alerted of a nearby shark. The bill passed 102-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 247, sponsored by Rep. David Standridge, R-Hayden, renames the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America.' The bill passed 72-26. It goes to the Senate.
HB 179, sponsored by Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, allows local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies to allow volunteer campus chaplains to provide support and services in schools. The bill passed 91-4. It goes to the Senate.
HB 7, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, would give sheriff's deputies and police officers authority to arrest and detain individuals who are not authorized to be in the U.S. and to transfer them to the custody of federal law enforcement. The bill passed 74-26. It goes to the Senate.
HB 178, sponsored by Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, requires public K-12 schools to display the Ten Commandments in a common area. The bill passed 81-11. It goes to the Senate.
HB 67, sponsored by Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, prohibits public schools and libraries from hosting drag performances in the presence of children without parental consent. The bill passed 76-9. It goes to the Senate.
HB 244, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, prohibits public school teachers at all grade levels from teaching or discussing gender identity or sexuality. The bill passed 74-15. It goes to the Senate.
HB 165, sponsored by Rep. Rick Rehm, R-Matthews, adds Juneteenth as a state holiday. The bill passed 85-4. It goes to the Senate.
HB 382, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, updates real estate regulations, including clarifying requirements for brokerage agreements, consumer disclosures, licensee duties and the operation of real estate teams. The bill passed 101-0. It goes to the Senate.
HB 225, sponsored by Rep. Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham, updates terminology and requirements related to the training, qualifications, and licensure of real estate companies, brokers, and salespersons. The bill passed 102-0. It goes to the Senate. \
Senate
SB 186, sponsored by Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, would require using a filter on certain Internet-enabled devices in Alabama if the user is a minor. The bill passed 28-5. It goes to the House.
SB 187, sponsored by Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, would require app stores to verify users' ages and require minors' accounts to be affiliated with a parent account. The bill passed 26-6. It goes to the House.
SB 5, sponsored by Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Josephine, would remove the Alabama Department of Archives & History Board of Trustees' authority to self-appoint and give the governor appointing authority for most seats, including members from each congressional district. The bill passed 26-5. It goes to the House.
SB 13, sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, is a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would require the first stanza of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' to be broadcast or performed at least once a week during school hours in K-12 public schools. The bill passed 25-6. It goes to the House.
SB 142, sponsored by Sen. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, would remove the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) as a voter registration database that Alabama must use to identify voters whose addresses may have changed. The bill passed 25-5. It goes to the House.
SB 158, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, would prohibit using foreign national driver's licenses as a form of identification when voting. The bill passed 25-6. It goes to the House.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE